Anhar Al-Rajbi: Cultivating the Land as a Tool for Resilience, Empowerment and Climate Justice
Hebron – Occupied Palestinian Territory – Before the sun begins to rise, Anhar Al-Rajbi starts her day. She wakes early and travels long distances to reach her land in Khillet Al-Qubba, one of the areas in southern area of Hebron. The journey to her land is not easy: unpaved roads, scarce water, distant essential services, and restrictions that make access to land, markets and resources even more difficult.
But reaching her land is not the only challenge Anhar faces. As the climate changes, the farming on which she depends to support her family has become increasingly vulnerable. Rising temperatures, heatwaves, extreme cold, frost and unpredictable weather, combined with water scarcity, all threaten her crops and her family’s source of income.
For Palestinian women farmers in the closed areas of Hebron, the climate crisis does not occur separately from their daily reality. Restrictions on movement and access to land, as well as difficulties accessing water and markets, make adapting to climate change more costly and difficult. What may be a seasonal challenge for a farmer elsewhere can become, for a woman like Anhar, a direct threat to her family’s livelihood and food security.
Anhar did not give in to these circumstances. Instead of leaving her land unused, she decided to rehabilitate and cultivate it. She saw an opportunity to transform it into a source of food and income for her family and began a long journey to turn the plot into a productive agricultural project. Anhar received support from ActionAid Palestine through the “Valiance “Basala”-Empowering Women in the Old City of Hebron, funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She received a grant to establish a greenhouse, along with the necessary tools to help her start her agricultural project.
Today, Anhar grows cucumbers, beans, eggplants, peppers, sweet peppers, tomatoes and corn, alongside fruit trees including grapes, figs, peaches, olives, lemons and quinces. Every seedling she plants is more than just a crop. It is part of her effort to build a more stable life for her family. But cultivating the land in this area also means facing challenges beyond Anhar’s control. Anhar says: “The crops are greatly affected. Sometimes we lose a lot of crops and plants either because of extreme cold or high temperatures.
As temperatures rise and heatwaves become more intense, crops are damaged and pests and diseases spread inside the greenhouse. At the same time, frost and extreme cold can destroy seedlings and trees. Anhar explains: “When temperatures rise or heatwaves occur, the crops burn and many agricultural pests spread inside the greenhouse. Frost waves also damage the plants.”
The loss of a crop does not end when the plants are damaged. Every crop she loses represents a loss of part of the income her family depends on. In the context of difficult economic conditions and the absence of a sustainable source of income, climate-related losses become an additional burden for the family. Water scarcity, the difficulty and cost of transporting water, the rising cost of agricultural inputs, and limited access to markets also reduce Anhar’s ability to adapt to climate change. Yet when her crops are damaged by extreme weather, Anhar receives no compensation. “There is no compensation or assistance available to make up for the damage to crops and plants caused by high temperatures.”
This reflects one of the inequalities at the heart of the climate crisis. Women farmers with limited resources to cope with climate impacts are often left to bear the losses themselves, even though their ability to adapt is already constrained by restrictions on land, water, movement and access to markets.
These challenges are even greater for Anhar as a woman carrying responsibility for her family in the absence of her husband and without a sustainable source of family income. The distance between her home and her land, the lack of paved roads and public transportation, and the distance from schools, markets and health centers make everyday needs a difficult journey. She says: “We have to travel long distances to reach schools, markets, shops and health services for me and my children because there is no public transportation in the area where we live.”
These restrictions affect not only Anhar’s work, but also her family life and her children’s ability to access education and essential services. Yet Anhar chose to make her land a space for independence, rather than a space defined by fear or powerlessness.
Before starting her agricultural project, Anhar was on another equally important journey: rebuilding her confidence. She participated in trainings and activities organized by ActionAid Palestine. For her, this participation was more than just training. It became the beginning of a personal transformation that influenced both her life and her work. She says: “I used to attend activities organized by ActionAid Palestine. I received a lot of training that helped strengthen my personality and build my self-confidence.”
Anhar found farming a way to break the routine and improve her psychological well-being. She says: “I started cultivating the land as a way to break the routine, recharge my energy and improve my psychological well-being.” Over time, the land became part of a broader journey towards independence. “My personality was weak in the past, but little by little, I began to change through the courses and training I received from ActionAid Palestine. This project provided me with a degree of self-sufficiency and food security for my children and family.
For Anhar, the agricultural project is about more than generating a modest income. It provides part of her family’s food, helps reduce living costs, and gives her a greater sense of independence and the ability to make decisions. She says: “The economic situation in Hebron is difficult, and my husband does not have permanent work. This project helps us improve our economic situation.” The land, which once required so much effort to reach, has therefore become a resource that helps her family build resilience. But this resilience does not come easily.
Anhar is not only facing market fluctuations and economic hardship. She is also confronting the impacts of climate change at a time when restrictions affecting her and her community make access to the resources needed for adaptation even more difficult.
For Anhar, continuing to farm is an act of resilience. She knows that the circumstances around her have not changed and that climate change will continue to create new challenges for farmers. But she believes that knowledge, skills and opportunities can give women greater capacity to face these challenges.
She has a message for women living in similar circumstances: “My message to women is not to give in to reality or difficulties. Women should develop themselves and their abilities, strengthen their personalities, and take the necessary training and courses because this benefits them and the community.”
Anhar’s story is not simply the story of a woman growing cucumbers, tomatoes or olives. It is the story of a woman working to protect her family’s livelihood in an environment where the climate crisis intersects with poverty and restrictions on land, water and movement. It is also a story of climate justice, because the impacts of climate change are not experienced equally. Palestinian women farmers like Anhar face rising temperatures, drought, water scarcity and unpredictable weather while, at the same time, confronting restrictions that limit their access to the resources they need to adapt.
On her land, Anhar is not only growing crops. She is cultivating her independence, protecting her family’s food supply and building her resilience. As the land changes under the pressure of a changing climate, and access to it becomes increasingly difficult under occupation, Anhar holds on to it more firmly. Because for her, the land is more than a source of income. It is a source of strength and dignity, a space for empowerment, and a path towards a future in which she and her family can continue to withstand the challenges around them.
About ActionAid International
ActionAid International is a global federation working with over 41 million people living in more than 72 of the world's poorest countries. We envision a world characterized by justice and sustainability, where every individual has the right to a dignified life and freedom, and a world free from poverty and oppression. We strive to achieve social justice, gender equality, and eradicate poverty.
ActionAid Palestine began its work in Palestine in 2007 to strengthen the resilience of the Palestinian people, believing in their right to enjoy freedom, justice, and self-determination. ActionAid Palestine implements several programs through its engagement with Palestinian communities and youth and women’s groups, aiming to empower women and youth and enhance their active civil and political participation to understand their rights and undertake collective action to address the rights violations resulting from the prolonged occupation, in addition to improving their leadership capacity and practicing their citizenship in holding authorities and other duty bearers accountable.
For more information, please contact:
Riham Jafari
Communication and Advocacy Officer at ActionAid Palestine
Email: Riham.Jafari@actionaid.org