Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC)

One of the oldest non-profit organizations in the State of Palestine, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) supports Palestinian farmers to attain food sovereignty. UAWC works with farmers across Palestine, including vulnerable groups in remote and marginalized areas, to restore and conserve natural resources and rights to access these resources through four main program areas: land rehabilitation and restoration, water management, infrastructure development, and income diversification A centerpiece of UAWC’s work towards food sovereignty and income generation is a Bank for Local Seeds, which stores and documents seeds from local plant varieties to protect them from extinction. The seed bank currently has in its storage unit 270 samples from 36 agricultural crop varieties, belonging to 12 plant families. A parallel keystone area of UAWC’s work is raising awareness about the issues facing Palestinians in general, and the agricultural sector in particular, lobbying for the human rights of Palestinian farmers, herders, and fishermen. UAWC addresses women’s empowerment and gender mainstreaming as a cross sectional issue throughout all its programming, supporting women to engage on equal footing with men.

Key Facts

Equator Prize Winner: 2014

Founded: 1986

Location: The State of Palestine

Beneficiaries: Over 30,000 families in the West Bank and
Gaza Strip

Area of Focus: Agriculture, food sovereignty, and political
advocacy

Case Study