Help Palestinian farmers rebuild and feed their community!

Palestinians are not starving, they are being starved...

So it is more important than ever that we support the Palestinian farmers who for decades, despite the violence of an ongoing occupation and genocide, have been growing food to feed their communities - like the Taneeb family of Hakoritna Farm in Tulkarm, occupied West Bank.

In the week following October 7th, the much beloved Hakoritna Farm was targeted by the occupying army and completely destroyed... growing tunnels were slashed and burned, the water was cut off and the road in was bulldozed to prevent access as well as teargas and live bullets fired at the farmers. This resulted in heavy crop loss across their vegetables as well as to beehives, chickens, aquaculture and many fruit orchards, ultimately rendering the farm out of service...

This is the third and worst time that they've had their farm attacked.

Throughout history, colonisers have always controlled food to control the people.

Please help us to raise the funds needed to rebuild and regenerate this priceless family farm so that the Taneeb family may continue to nourish and provide food dignity for their community through such adversity.

About me behind this fundraiser:

My name is Keitha, a fellow farmer, seedkeeper and herbalist living in so-called Australia. I connected with the Taneeb family through renowned Chef Muayad Ali, of La Maison Rooftop Garden Restaurant in Tulkarm after seeing the following video that he shared:

Heartbroken to see the targeted devastation towards such a beautiful and important family farm I contacted Chef Muayad to see if I could help the Taneeb family in any way... He gave me their contact details and we have been communicating regularly ever since. They are incredibly humbled and grateful to have our attention in this fundraiser as we attempt to support the rebuilding of their beloved Hakoritna Farm.

As Oday Taneeb said to me in voice memo:

"Those who are farmers, have a special relation between them and the land. Anyone who is a farmer has this special feeling. They understand each other... That is how we are working with the land. All the time, we love the land, we work with the land, we save the land, we stay with the land."

How your donation will be used:

The 30k we are trying to raise through this fundraiser is a lower range estimate provided by the Taneeb family of what it would require for them to partially rehabilitate part of their 3 acre farm. This includes rebuilding their grow tunnels, fixing irrigation systems, replanting fruit trees and replacing the tools destroyed by the occupiers in these last months.

About Hakoritna Farm and the Taneeb family:

Fayez and Muna Taneeb, along with their son Oday, have run Hakoritna Farm for 40 years, growing tonnes of organic food for Tulkarm while raising awareness on the ongoing violations of environmental rights and food injustice, through workshops, trainings, advocacy and international gatherings.

Hakoritna Farm has been the host and venue for many educational and network meetings, serving as a demonstration site for Permaculture food production and sustainable technological solutions specific to Palestine. This included several forms of chemical-free raised-bed horticulture; solar food drying; biogas energy production; local seed collection, trading, and storage; and an innovative aquaponics installation.

Fayez Taneeb is celebrated for being a leading figure in promoting organic agriculture and permaculture in Palestine. He has transformed Hakoritna Farm, into a model of resilience and sustainable living despite challenging circumstances, such as the construction of the Israeli "separation barrier" right through the farm.

Hakorita Farm is around 3.2 hectares, but when the apartheid wall was built in 2003, the Taneeb family lost over 50% of their land and haven’t been on other side since. On top of this loss they had to fight hard to stay on the remaining side as the road to the farm was closed off for 18 months.

With the wall on one side, they are also bordered by an Israeli chemical factory which not only pollutes the area and contaminates the soil but also harms the health of the local Palestinian community giving the Taneeb family further resolve for farming organically for soil and human health, as they do.

As father Fayez Taneeb says:

“...water, food, and energy are available to all humanity if we work with the laws of nature. That’s a powerful resistance tool, because water, food and energy are things that Israel does not want us to control.”

I hope that you can feel the genuineness of this humble, hardworking family who are dedicated to feeding their community through their words and the many photos attached. We appreciate any amount, big or small (it all adds up!) that you can contribute towards helping the Taneeb family rebuild their beautiful farm and nourishing their community through such ongoing heartbreak and struggles within Palestine.

Some last words from Fayez, sent to me in a personal message:

"The reality of the farm is now out of service because we do not have enough money to restart it. We hope that we will receive your help so that we can rehabilitate even part of the farm to service, and this helps us continue to achieve food security and live in dignity."

Every man, woman and child deserves food.

Thank you for helping make sure that comes to be.

With love,

from Keitha, on behalf of Fayez, Muna and Oday Taneeb.

Muna, Fayez and Oday Taneeb