HEBRON, West Bank / PNN / —
The grape marketing days in the Hebron governorate drew large crowds and strong participation from residents and representatives of local institutions, as part of efforts by the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture and its partners to support local products and strengthen farmers’ access to domestic markets.
Among those standing at the center of the event was Samah Abu Heikel, a Ministry of Agriculture official whose years of work in the agricultural sector have brought her into close contact with farmers and their concerns, particularly women working in agriculture.
At the event, Abu Heikel used her presence to highlight the importance of standing with farmers and supporting their needs at a time when many are facing restrictions and risks that make it difficult to reach and cultivate their land.
For years, Abu Heikel’s professional career has been closely linked to fieldwork and the follow-up of agricultural issues. Through her positions within the Ministry of Agriculture and its directorates in several West Bank governorates, she has worked directly on issues affecting farmers, agricultural production and rural communities.
Abu Heikel has held a number of administrative and professional positions within the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture. Her career included serving as director of agriculture for southern Hebron before taking on administrative responsibilities at the Bethlehem Directorate of Agriculture and later becoming director general of the Bethlehem Directorate of Agriculture.
But her work in agriculture has also placed her increasingly alongside farmers and women whose livelihoods depend on the land.
During the grape season, that role takes on a particularly human dimension. Behind every box of grapes reaching the market is a farmer who has spent months cultivating and caring for the crop. There are also women farmers and families whose income depends on that harvest.
For Abu Heikel, supporting local produce therefore means supporting the people behind it.
In her public remarks, she has repeatedly highlighted the importance of women’s participation in agriculture and the role women farmers play in production and in maintaining their families’ livelihoods. She has stressed the need to create opportunities and provide support that can help women develop their agricultural projects and reach markets.
Abu Heikel’s role, however, extends beyond her administrative position within the Ministry of Agriculture. Through years of field engagement, she has become a prominent voice supporting farmers and women farmers in the southern West Bank, using agricultural activities and public events to draw attention to their needs and the challenges facing the sector.
She said participation in marketing activities represents an essential step and a social responsibility toward farmers. Supporting them, she said, goes beyond helping them sell their produce and includes standing beside them as they confront the difficult conditions affecting agriculture.
A number of farmers are facing difficulties and risks that prevent or restrict their access to their land, Abu Heikel said, affecting their ability to care for their crops and maintain agricultural production.
She described supporting farmers under such circumstances as a shared responsibility for agricultural institutions and the wider community, particularly because agriculture remains a vital source of income for many Palestinian families.
Abu Heikel has also spent years participating in programs and initiatives aimed at improving agricultural production and strengthening farmers’ ability to remain in their fields. Her work has included agricultural development, training and extension activities.
In 2016, during a workshop on drought-resistant crops, she said agricultural research and field trials were intended to serve Palestinian farmers and improve access to economically viable agricultural options.
According to Abu Heikel, current-season data indicate that grape production has declined compared with previous years, amid restrictions and risks that limit farmers’ ability to reach their land.
She said land that farmers are able to access and cultivate requires comprehensive support to preserve production and strengthen farmers’ ability to continue working and remain on their land.
She also stressed the importance of ensuring that women farmers have a visible role in agricultural and marketing activities, describing them as essential partners in agricultural production and in maintaining family incomes.
From her position within the Ministry of Agriculture, Abu Heikel has sought to bring the agricultural institution closer to farmers through extension services, field follow-up and participation in marketing activities. Her message is that protecting the agricultural sector begins with protecting farmers and helping them maintain their ability to work their land and sustain production.
Abu Heikel said she was encouraged by the strong turnout at the Hebron marketing days and expressed hope that the event would generate tangible benefits for participating farmers and women farmers while creating additional opportunities to market grapes and other Palestinian agricultural products.
For her, the success of a marketing event is not measured only by the number of visitors or the volume of sales. It is also measured by whether it creates new opportunities for farmers and women farmers to reach consumers and turn agricultural production from a seasonal crop into a source of income and a means of sustaining their livelihoods and connection to the land.
The Hebron event followed marketing days held in the Bethlehem governorate the previous week, as part of a series of initiatives aimed at supporting Palestinian products, connecting farmers with consumers and strengthening the presence of local produce in domestic markets.
This video was produced as part of the Media Support in Times of Crisis project, implemented by the Palestine Network in cooperation with the Palestine Journalism Hub.
