Arab Center for Agricultural Development “ACAD” organized a series of induction meetings in four areas in the West Bank. These meetings aimed to introduce ACAD activities and the Land and Rights Project, which targets the agricultural cooperatives in these four areas. For that purpose, ACAD invited all the agricultural cooperatives, CBOs, and relevant civil society organizations to attend these meetings. Moreover, the meetings were attended by a representative from each of the Cooperative Work Agency and the Ministry of Agriculture in each area.

The meetings included a representation of ACAD’s activities and objectives followed by a detailed representation on the Land and Rights Project, including its objectives, activities and services to be provided by it to the agricultural cooperatives. Through this project, ACAD will work on the empowerment and strengthening of the cooperatives, economically and socially. Specifically, the project will support and empower the agricultural cooperatives in the marginalized areas of Yatta, North West of Jerusalem, Salfeet and South West of Bethlehem through hubs located in these areas.

These hubs will provide services for the cooperative and CBOs in these areas such as (general information, legal framework, technical strategic support, access to funding programs, value chain supply), and guidance for existing cooperatives and those to be established. Furthermore, these hubs will support cooperatives in the field of management, marketing and distribution of products and will also provide technical assistance for small enterprises working in the agricultural food sector in these targeted areas.

This project will also provide special training for the targeted agricultural activities in the fields of project management, principles of cooperation work and principles of savings and credit. Additionally, the project will support youth and women clubs and groups to establish their own cooperatives and build networking connections among the cooperatives in the targeted areas to enhance exchange of experiences.

It is worth mention that the Land and Rights Project is funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation “AICS”, managed by the Italian COSPE Foundation and implemented by ACAD in partnership with the Palestinian Youth Union.