Facebook: مطاوع بوزية
In his childhood, Mutawe’ dreamed of owning a small plot of land, when he saw farmers go festively to their lands during the olive harvest. His circumstances left him with no choice but to work in the illegal Israeli settlements when he was only 17 years old. Mutawe’ describes the workdays back then as very long, and that his dream of the land helped him get through them. As the years went by, he became more determined and closer to fulfilling his dream. In 2003, after being able to quit his job, Mutawe’ purchased a plot of land in his hometown of Kifl Hares and started his dream project. He worked relentlessly on land reclamation and managed to transform it into a garden of different tree orchards such as olives, figs, almonds, citrus, and grapes. He also planted thyme, legumes, potatoes, and other summer vegetables. His success encouraged the other residents to farm their neighboring lands.
Mutawe’ believes that “the land gives you as much as you give it and take care of it”. This was evident when the revenue he gained from the farm encouraged him to continue his pursuit to achieve self-sufficiency for his family. Therefore, he bought another piece of land and dedicated it to growing seasonal vegetables for his family’s consumption and selling any surplus. This included tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, cabbages, baladi cucumbers, lettuce, cauliflower, fennel, and corn. At the end of 2019Mutawe’ devoted a portion of his land to revive wheat cultivation in his village. He recalls how 35 years ago the fields were full of wheat. In his estimation, at that time, half of the village fields were used for growing wheat and the harvest covered all of the village needs throughout the year. Mutawe’ also produces seeds of fava beans, melons, safflower, lavender, luffa and pumpkin to preserve for planting in the coming seasons. His produce is marketed in town through direct orders and any excess is sold at vegetable markets such as Hisbet Beita (central market).
Mutawe’ relies on clean, chemical-free seasonal cultivation, after numerous attempts and experimentation with using natural solutions such as the inula plant to treat plant disease, which proved to be successful. He also succeeded in finding a solution to protect his farm and crops from the destruction caused by the growing numbers of wild boars in the area.
Farmers like Mutawe’ teach us many values stemming from traditional farming culture, such as patience, giving, perseverance, and love of the land, far beyond perceptions of land as merely a source of income.
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Product Availability: Seasonal
Volunteering opportunities: help with harvest and planting by season.
Other services: Hosting and tours in the area.Products Selling Points:
- Mutawe’ Supermarket, Kifl Hares.
- Per Order.
- Surplus is sold at Hisbet Beita (central produce market in Beita).