NGO #15874
Al-Ard is an independent agricultural development organization that works to improve the lives of Palestinian farmers and protect their land and rights. We believe that sovereignty over resources, especially those that deliver food, is a fundamental right for each community. As Palestinians, living under Israeli occupation, we are deprived from our rights. Our land and water are stolen from us, our trees are uprooted, our farmers expelled, and our societies endangered. This is the extreme context in which Al-Ard operates to provide practical solutions for food sovereignty.
In parallel Al-Ard dedicates large efforts to influence public policies that can affect poor and marginalized communities. This goes into prioritizing, at a national and international level, the issue of access to food security for all people. We are convinced that the sovereignty over resources, foremost the sovereignty over food, is the gateway to eliminate poverty and its root causes.
Al-Ard is a Palestinian civil society organization engaged in strengthening and empowering Palestinian farmers to acquire the capacity of accessing their natural resources and basic rights.
We focus on the rights of Palestinians to self-determination and a safe and decent life on their Palestinian lands, that have been recognized as occupied territory. These rights are stipulated in the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which are non-negotiable, fundamental pillars of international law.
Al-Ard aims to uplift the value of the Palestinian farmers by increasing their ability to access the means of agricultural
production and developing appropriate and flexible agro systems that respond to the surrounding changes. Our
organization aims as well at building the ability of these farmers to have access to natural resources and to strengthen
sovereignty over their resources in an effective and innovative way. In addition, Al-Ard aims to increase the options of
stakeholders, decision-makers and planners in order to reach innovative solutions to alleviate and then eradicate poverty
and to advance the productive agricultural sector. The development of innovative solutions will improve the efficiency
and sustainability of agro-food production, processing systems and water provision in Palestine, and will stimulate a more
sustainable and competitive industry, able to promote sovereignty over resources, farmers' resilience, women
empowerment, youth employment, well-being and economic growth.
Al-Ard addresses key priorities identified through national and international policies and thus will significantly
contribute to constituting a milestone towards the creation of a Common Knowledge and innovative sustainable
agricultural development in Palestine.
Al-Ard encourages and enhances the attachment of our communities to their lands by preserving it, defending it and
strengthening its steadfastness, because it is the main source of steadiness, success, and building sustainable models.