This editorial collaboration — written by Sébastien Louis and photographed by Giovanni Ambrosio — explores how Palestinian farmers use organic farming and fair trade to gain autonomy, protect the environment, and open access to global markets.
The Role of Canaan in Palestinian Fair Trade
From Le Jeudi: “The associative fabric in Palestine is very dense. However, Canaan operates as a commercial company, not an NGO. How does this business function alongside your research centre?”
Layth Sbaihat explains:
“We come from the Palestine Fair Trade Association, a cooperative of farmers committed to selling their products at fair prices. To support them, we established Canaan Palestine in 2004 to provide certification labels and market the brand. We also established the Land of Canaan Foundation, a lobbying group that defends the interests of Palestinian farmers in the USA. These three entities needed a research centre to ensure compliance with organic and fair trade standards.”
“As a research centre, we bridge the gap between farmers and the market, improving product quality and production capacity. If there’s demand for a specific organic product that Palestinian farmers struggle to cultivate, we step in to support them in achieving those standards.”
