The Palestine Fair Trade Association

The Palestine Fair Trade Association (PFTA) is the largest fair trade producers' union in Palestine, with over 1700 small Palestinian farmers joined in fair trade collectives and cooperatives across the country.  Collectively our farmers produce the traditional olive oil and food delicacies from Palestine, and sell them internationally to buyers and markets not available to an individual farmer. Fair trade means social and economic empowerment – a dignified living for farmers who have not had access to the outside world for over 40 years.  We revitalize farming traditions and a culture of sustainability by linking the  traditionally organic farming methods of Palestine to modern organic/ecological movements and markets.  Our farming communities benefit from the living wages paid to farmers and producers, the fair trade reinvestment in the community through the payment of social premiums to cooperatives above the price, and the cooperatives and collectives that are established along the production process serve as vital community organizations that can address other issues of common interest. We invite you to learn more about the PFTA, our farmers and cooperatives, our organic and fair trade programs, our community programs, about fair trade.

Our stories

Fair trade cooperatives in Palestine bring back traditions lost in the midst of conflict. They reintroduce a new spirit into the work ethic of the villages and renew the social values and ties weakened by the conflict. Farmers receive organic and fair trade premiums over sustainable fair trade prices. The PFTA contracts with its member, fair trade exporter Canaan Fair Trade, which has established modern processing and storage facilities and contributes to our social empowerment programs as well as other community development programs that they initiated. Every one of our cooperatives/collectives has a history; every one of our farmers has a story. Please check our continually updated pages. Our farmer and women cooperative members want the world to know that the simple act of buying a bottle of olive oil from PFTA's exporter and distributors around the world helps Palestinian families like theirs survive and maintain their connection to their land and their ancient olive trees.

What's new

The 2009 harvest was small in this shalatoun (alternate low yield) year, but the traditional Jaru'a (harvest) festival was inspiring notwithstanding.