With the conflict in Palestine in mind, Nasser Abufarha decided to use the knowledge he acquired in the United States to help the Palestinian people. He realised that the concept of fair trade development could be a good way to overcome the difficult trading conditions of Palestinian farmers. They encounter difficulties in marketing abroad, shortcomings in business management as well as not having sufficient resources to carry out investments and innovative strategies. Together with Canaan Fair Trade, he created ‘The Palestine Fair Trade Association – PFTA’, a network of cooperatives to ensure fair trading conditions.
Both Canaan Fair Trade and the PFTA have helped small producers consolidate their products and obtain fair trade and organic certification, thus increasing the value of their products and adopting environmental and social values.
The project that TDC carried out in Palestine lasted four years; from 2009 to 2013. It was financed to a total of €175,000. This project aimed to support the marketing of fair trade products from Palestine on the European continental market. Previously, the products (olive oils, spices, oriental preparations) were only being exported to the United States and Great Britain.
This project had two main objectives: the first was to produce files to show the positive impact of Fair Trade on the living conditions of producers from the West Bank. The second goal of this project was to promote fair trade products from the West Bank among European fair trade importers and distributors. Hence, the aim was to stimulate the demand for Palestinian products in Europe and to raise awareness among these trade operators about the importance of such an approach for the producers and their families.
