Agro-biodiversity

For many crops, Palestine is considered the main centre of diversity as well as the probable area of domestication. More crops and crop progenitors originated from the Near East (including Palestine) accompanied barley and wheat on their way. Some of them, for example, lentil, pea and chickpea were domesticated in the Near East. The present geographical distribution of a wild progenitor of emmer, durum, bread wheats Triticum dicoccoides, and barley coincides perfectly with the geographical limits of the Fertile Crescent generally and Palestine particularly. These crops together with domesticated sheep and goats were a basis of a farming system that evolved in Palestine in 7000 BC.

Additional crops, which are not included in the forgoing paragraph, have regional importance in human food production, for example, chickpea and faba bean or are other valuable components of human diet, e.g., olive, almond, pistachio, apple, pear, apricot, peach, hazelnut, grape, quince, fig, date palm, cucumber and melon. Palestine as part of the Near East center is an important center of genetic diversity for a wide range of crops. This is partly due to its very dissected ecosystems, with consequently an extremely wide range of agro-ecological conditions.

Drylands in general are most known for their within-species genetic diversity. The indigenous crops and food plants of the Near East are known for their resistance to disease and abiotic stresses, making them a valuable source of genetic material for germplasm enhancement upon which global food security depends. The conservation and sustainable use of agro-biodiversity and plant genetic resources require a totally different approach from protected areas for biodiversity at species level.

The Palestinian Territories can be divided into five agro-ecological zones as indicated in Table (20) / Map (4).

Table 20: Agro-ecological Zones in Palestine.

Zone	Area (km2)	Description
A) West Bank
Jordan valley	413	Low lying (-375 to -200m below sea level) region along the western bank of the Jordan river. A semi-tropical region with hot summers and warm winters. It is an arid region with an average annual rainfall of approximately 160 mm. The main agricultural activity in this area is irrigated vegetable production.
Eastern slopes	1594	Extend the length of the eastern edge of the West Bank (-200 to 800m). This semi-arid region is in the rain shadow of the central highlands with annual precipitation ranging from 200 mm in the south to 400 mm in the north. The main agricultural activity is animal grazing.
Semi-coastal region	470.5	The smallest of the West Bank’s agro-ecological regions, it is located in the north west corner of the West Bank (100 to 400m). It is a productive agricultural area receiving 600 mm of annual precipitation. The main agricultural activities are field crop production and citrus trees.
Central highlands	3144.5	This highland area of the West Bank extends from Jenin in the north to Hebron in the south (400 to 1000m). It is the main catchment area for the West Bank aquifers with annual precipitation ranging from 500 to 800 mm. The main agricultural activity is fruit tree production (eg, olive trees).
Coastal region	365	This small strip of land is located along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea (0 to 100 m). Annual rainfall ranges from 200 mm in the south to 400 mm in the north. The main agricultural activities are irrigated vegetable and citrus tree production. Also horticulture production is prevalent.
Source: ARIJ GIS Database, 1998.

Of the Palestinian Territories 618,500 ha, approximately 228,845 ha (37 per cent) is urban and barren land, 197,920 ha (32 per cent) is rangeland, and 191,735 ha (31 per cent) is cultivated agriculture land (PIALES, 1996a).

Cultivated Agriculture Land

In the West Bank, the agricultural land is highly fragmented as approximately 50 per cent of the farms are less than 2 ha and only 8 per cent of the farms are greater than 10 ha (PCBS, 1997). This fragmentation is partially the result of traditional land tenure practices and a high population growth. That is, after a farmers death, the farmland is traditionally split up among his sons.

Figure (3) / Figure (4) below show the cultivated area by crop type for Palestine in 1995/ 96.

Figure 3: Areas of Different Cropping Patterns in Palestine, 1996

Source: ARIJ (BARU), 1998

Figure 4: Land Area Types of Agriculture in Palestine, 1996

Source: PIALESa, 1996

Fruit trees, both irrigated and rainfed account for approximately 62.2 per cent of the Palestinian Territories cultivated area, field crops 26.3 per cent and vegetables the remaining 11.5 per cent.

There is significant variety within Palestine’s agriculture production. Table (21) gives some representative examples of within species variety for agricultural crops.

Table 21: Representative Agricultural Species Variety

Crop	Examples
Olives	Sori, local Nabali, Improved Nabali.
Grapes	Dabouki (most common), Zaini, Marrawi, Halawani, Shoyoukhi.
Almond	Auja, Mokhmali, Naba, Neobolis, and Bureh 81, Mokhmali, Auja, local almonds
Figs	Khdari, Khartmani, Swadi, Sultani.
Oranges	Shamoti, Joint, Valancia, Local or Baladi, French and Blood.
Wheat	Winter wheat (a durum wheat is the most common), local varieties like Nab al Jamal and hitieh.

Source: PEnA, 1998

Table (22) provides a partial list of baladi species to Palestine (i.e., indigenous). The list is intended to be indicative, not exhaustive.

Table 22: Baladi Species

Table (22) is adapted from GEF 1998, which in turn is based on J.R. Harlan (1975) Crops and Man. 2nd Edition. pp. 69-70. It is felt that there are several baladi species that local farmers simply classify as baladi. In addition, it is further felt that many of the baladi species are endangered, for example the Palestinian pistachio, certain baladi species of cucumber, wheat, barley, lentils and beans. Further research into the number of indigenous agriculture species and their status is needed.

Most agriculture in Palestine is rainfed and consist of a family-based mixed cropping system, with some vegetables, some field crops and fruit trees. Rainfed farming in the West Bank, for example, forms the largest cultivated area in the West Bank, making 92.7-95.8% of the total. Gaza Strip, on the other hand, is famous for its dates, olives and citrus.

However, The main crops still grown in Palestine, are the traditional field crops, like wheat, barley, and peas, and vegetables like okra, cucurbits, onions and watermelons, often together with the cultivation of tree crops like almonds and olives. The system is still based on a labor intensive, family-type of farm with a low level of inputs and technology and using mainly old, low-yielding but disease resistant varieties.

The individual property holding size has a great effect on agricultural production and the level of mechanization used. Surveys and studies done in the West Bank indicate that 75.1% of the rainfed cultivated lands are less than 2 hectares in size, while 50% of the irrigated lands are between 0.1 to 2 hectares. In Palestine, as well as, in many other developing countries, farmers play a central role in the conservation of germplasm, as they hold the bulk of genetic resources. Palestinian peasant farmers always retain some seed stock for security unless circumstances dictate otherwise. Thus, not only are crop species maintained in a dynamic state of evolution under conditions that are almost ideal in respect to sustaining original population structures, but also new variations are created. Framers in Palestine should, therefore, be encouraged to continue to maintain small holdings of seed stock as this would represent some form of in-situ conservation of germplasm across a broad range of agro-ecological conditions (ARIJ, West Bank Profile).

Threats and Impacts

The main issues effecting the agro-biodiversity of cultivated agriculture is the replacement of indigenous species (baladi species) with hybrid and High Yield Variety species (HYV). For example virtually all vegetables now grown in the Palestinian Territories are high bred or HYV species. In addition to the effect on biodiversity, the HYV generally require the use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers. The use of these is having significant effects on wildlife and ground water. For example, the thallium sulfate pesticide, which was once widely used in the West Bank, greatly affects the population of the winter raptors such as Sparrow-hawk (Accipiter nisus) which has disappeared many years ago. The population of the Wolf (Canis lupus) on the other hand, has been greatly decreased because of the continuous subjection to illegal poisoning by pesticides. It is likely that the wolf population will become extinct in the near future.

If one is to extend the issue of agro-biodiversity to that of food security. Some additional issues are: