Before It Reached the Table

Palestinian produce: Growing is only part of the story

Before It Reached the Table is an ongoing series within our wider Together project, tracing the food we eat back to the land, labour and knowledge that make it possible.

Through a growing collection of tableware and kitchenware, Together brings stories from Palestine, Sudan, Kashmir and the Rohingya community to the table, exploring the ingredients, rituals, landscapes and people that shape the way we gather and eat. Every piece from the collection helps fund a hot meal for someone in need.

Alongside the collection, we speak with farmers, cooks, makers and growers about the parts of food production we rarely see. In this conversation, we look at Palestinian farming, where growing and harvesting are only part of the story, and access to water, roads, movement and markets can determine whether a crop ever reaches our tables.

From the Jordan Valley

Meet Rift Valley Farms

Established in 2017 in Al-Oja, Palestine, Rift Valley Farms is home to 4,200 organic Medjoul date palms and works with small and medium-sized Palestinian farmers, sourcing their dates at fair prices and supporting them throughout the growing season.

Its work brings together generations of farming knowledge with modern agricultural practices, from carefully managed irrigation and soil protection to solar-powered packing. But farming in Palestine is shaped by far more than what happens in the field. Water, checkpoints, closed roads, movement restrictions and export costs all influence whether a harvest can reach the people waiting for it.

SPINDLE stocks Rift Valley Farms’ Palestinian extra virgin olive oil, herbs and Medjoul dates. We wanted to speak with them because these are foods many of us recognise once they reach the shelf or table, while the decisions, labour and uncertainty carried within them often remain unseen. Here, Sami, Rift Valley Farms’ UK Director, takes us back to everything that happens before that point.

“The very fact that the olive oil is here in the UK is testament to the resilience and tenacity of the Palestinian people. Just think what they could achieve in a free Palestine.”

In conversation

What is one decision a farmer makes months before harvest that a customer eventually tastes, even if they never realise it?

As with almost every farmer, the weather is a key determinant of how the food eventually tastes. Farmers will gauge the weather and must make an informed decision as to how to proceed with their crop. Do they aim for a high yield crop, but lesser quality? Or do they focus on a smaller yield and high quality if the weather has been temperamental? These kinds of decisions are made well in advance.

When food is sold too cheaply, who actually absorbs the cost: the farmer, the worker, the soil, the next harvest, or all of them?

This is all dependent on the given economy and culture of the country the food is produced. In a healthy economy, food may be purposely sold cheaply to ensure a population has access to affordable food, whilst farmers are compensated so they can plan for the next harvest and afford to pay workers.

However, if farmers are not supported in a poor economy, the cost of production increases resulting in more expensive food on the shelves. This encourages poor quality, cheap processed food whilst also resulting in lower employment opportunities. This is what we see in the UK, where ‘real’ healthy food is expensive, but processed food is cheap.

If every date, olive, spice or bottle of oil on our table carried the name of the farmer behind it, what do you think would change about the way people eat?

If this were the case, the hope would be people would feel more connected and understand the commitment and toil put in by the farmers. However, this would be dependent on the type of food, the packaging and the country of origin. The main challenge is a lack of education amongst the population of where their food comes from and how it is produced. The UK is one of the highest consumers of processed food which in turn exacerbates the issue. Having the farmers name on the packaging would be a nice addition but, education from a young age would change the way people eat.

The UK is one of the highest consumers of processed food which in turn exacerbates the issue.

What part of farming in Palestine has nothing to do with farming skill, and everything to do with access, timing, movement, water, borders or uncertainty?

Growing, harvesting and producing food is only a small part of the ongoing struggle for Palestinian farmers. The inability to move food, material and labour throughout the country is a major challenge. Having to navigate checkpoints, closed roads and export costs is a major hurdle to the Palestinian economy.

Water, above all else, is arguably the make-or-break issue for Palestinian farmers. It is not due to a lack of available fresh water, but due to the diversion of water flow, purposeful filling in of wells and theft of land that hinders the daily life of a Palestinian farmer.

For people who want to support Palestinian farmers in a tangible way beyond a one-off purchase, what does real support look like over a season, a year, or several harvests?

Put simply, don’t by one-off purchases. Palestinian farmers, along with any Palestinian business need your ongoing support. They need you to buy their product on a regular basis. This will provide a sustainable business for Palestinians and remove hope from their business model. Once they have a steady flow of sales they can plan for the next harvest, they can have a future. Palestinian farmers in most cases are family orientated. If you continuously buy their products, you are not just supporting a business, you are most likely supporting a whole extended family.

What do you wish people understood before the food reached the table?

Many people do, but we need more people to understand the challenges Palestinian farmers face on a daily basis. When you see a Palestinian product, such as olive oil, on a shop shelf side by side with another olive oil from Spain or Greece for example, you are not comparing like for like. The hardship, struggle, resilience and fear that many farmers experience to get that olive oil to you is a story in itself. So, if the Palestinian olive oil is more expensive or the packaging isn’t as nice as the other olive oils available, please consider why this may be the case. The very fact that the olive oil is here in the UK is testament to the relicense and tenacity of the Palestinian people. Just think what they could achieve in a free Palestine.