Facebook: Doha Asous
Doha Asous or Om Musa represents a model of Palestinian steadfast women who have a genuine connection to the land and are working to achieve self-sufficiency. Her connection to the land is as deeply rooted as the olive trees on her farm.
Om Musa lives in Burin, a village southwest of Nablus that is surrounded by illegal Israeli settlements. The residents of Burin have witnessed constant assaults by settlers, who on multiple occasions have burned crops and olive trees belonging to Om Musa and many of Burin’s families, especially during olive harvest seasons. However, those assaults and atrocities could not break her resilience and determination to continue farming with her usual smile and sense of humour.
"My passion for agriculture began in my childhood. My mother was a farmer who brought our daily bread from the land and was the only breadwinner for our family after my father was martyred. So, we grew up off of the produce on our land and our love for it is carved in our hearts. Since I was a kid, I have always dreamt of having my own farm" Om Musa says.
Indeed, Om Musa established her farm 15 years ago. Today, she owns a 4 dunum property, where she grows seasonal crops such as potatoes, chickpeas, beans, spinach, onions, parsley, mint, watercress, cauliflower, zucchinis, Armenian cucumber ‘Faqous’, cucumbers, eggplant, bell peppers and chili peppers, okra, and tomatoes.
Om Musa relies on traditional seasonal agriculture, produces and preserves the seeds of local okra, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, sesame, thyme, sage, and Faqous. She also raises domestic baladi chickens and makes baladi cheese and delicious bread, which is usually made by women in rural areas, using either the traditional method (Tabun) or the modern one (ovens).
Om Musa also produces oil and pickled olives from her olive trees which are now partly located in Area C, close to the illegal settlements. This fact forces her to seek permission from the Israeli occupation to be able to access her land and harvest the olives, which is often rejected or delayed. Nevertheless, she persistently seeks to reach her land.
The love and generosity of Om Musa are evident in her dedication to hosting visitors and volunteers at her home and among her family members. She also coordinates the activities of international solidarity groups who usually come during the olive harvest season to help and provide encouragement and moral support to the farmers, in addition to their role in monitoring of settler violence and assaults of the Israeli occupation forces.
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Product Availability: Seasonal.
Volunteering opportunities: Support in harvesting, building raised beds and stone fencings, and weeding.
product Selling Points: At the farm.
Other Services: Offering traditional meals and a tour of Burin Village.