Shuhada Street
Gaza
Palestinian Territories
- Others
General Union of the Palestinian Peasants and Agric Cooperation "GUPPAC" is one of the non-governmental organizations founded in 1973, it was like "Popular Organizations" before the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority, GUPPAC is a completely neutral, impartial and transparent organization aims to represent and provide services for all farmers regardless their Affiliation. It was and still one of the fundamental pillars of the farmers, it used to defend the rights of Palestinian farmers and the land of Palestine. After the Oslo Agreement and the return back of the Palestinian Authority to the homeland, GUPPAC was re-formed in Palestine to include all Palestinian land in the provinces of North and South governorates to include sixteen branches, eleven branches in Northern Governorates "West Bank" and five in the Gaza governorates. The GUPPAC is a full legal entity representing all branches, agricultural cooperatives and specialized agricultural federations. GUPPAC is a full legal entity (Secretariat), representing all branches and cooperative societies that has agricultural competent and relevant councils institution concerned the affairs of the Palestinian farmers. While it was one of the mainstays of the Palestinian farmers, it was and still engaged in trade & cooperative activities, social & political activities that’s aims to support farmers everywhere, as well as defend the rights of farmers in the Occupied Palestinian territories. Likewise, GUPPAC is supporting farmers to get fair prices for their products throughout interfering to improve the balance of the value chain of their products. GUPPAC used to support farmers & rural communities through the relief and developmental agricultural projects; as well as, to oversee the training courses for farmers, especially rural women and the quest for the development of the Palestinian products through opening new markets, and work to distinguish it to compete in both local and international markets. GUPPAC also seeks to promulgate laws through the competent authorities that protect the farmers from climatic changes and hazards, political and trade fluctuations. GUPPAC is working on linking the agricultural sector with the industrial sector; also, it should be noted that the GUPPAC is working on the implementation of relief and development projects in cooperation with different international donors with coordination with the Palestinian Authority and the Ministry of Agriculture where it could be needed to achieve the results.
Mission: Contribute to the integrated and sustainable development of the peasant sector and the agricultural cooperative to help them achieve their goals. General and sub Objectives of GUPPAC: 1. Improve the standard of living and food security for farmers and rural women, which may include: 1.1 Diagnosis of difficulties, problems and constraints facing the Palestinian farmers in the different areas and work to find appropriate solutions. 1.2 Improve the professionalism of Palestinian farmers to understand and applied the new modern agricultural techniques through organizing specialized training courses, conferences and workshops. 1.3 Works to implement more agricultural development projects to serve and support the Palestinian farmers. 1.4 Supports the establishment of a fair marketing process to ensure the principle of fair-trading of agricultural products (Value Chain Concept). 1.5 Help the Palestinian farmers to reduce production costs through using new techniques. 1.6 Continues extended efforts to increase awareness and to codify and rationalize the exploitation of all sources of water. 1.7 Continues approach to enhance the developmental role of Palestinian women. 2. Defending the Palestinian farmers, their land, their right for water, against all threats, dangers and policies, this may include and not limited to the following: The organization of the masses of peasants and make them aware of the historical and national responsibility at home and homeland. 2.1 Participate in the discussion of draft laws and agricultural policies and approval, through the exercise of democratic right to serve the achievement of the institutional interests of the Palestinian farmer. 2.2 The use of all methods of pressure and advocacy within the framework of action. 3. Strengthens and enabling the trade unions and cooperatives sectors of public and social dimensions of the relationship, including the role of agricultural committees of the Union, this may include: 3.1 Enhance the regulatory framework for the movement of peasants within the framework of a regulatory one, including all events and agricultural associations, institutions and individuals. 3.2 Organizing the agricultural committees in all governorates of the country and strengthen its role. 3.3 Promote the principle of coordination and networking among all sectors. 4. Capacity-building and professional management of the Union and its committees to enable it to achieve the vision and strategic plan, this may include: 4.1 Linked to the farmer and its institutions through the establishment of the national branches of the Union at the level of the provinces of the country. 4.2 Representation of the farmers in country as well as outside the homeland both in the Arab and international level .
GUPPAC's activities: For Examples and not limited to the following: 1. GUPPAC in cooperation with the Ministry of Health managed to provide free of charge of health insurance for the thousands of poor farmers in all provinces of the country. 2. Contribution in alleviation the burden on the affected farmers in the provinces of the country to distribute aid in cash as partial reimbursement for their losses in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture. 3. Helping the farmers to market their products and signing the international agreements to open markets to Palestinian products, especially olive oil. 4. Working on partnership projects with local organization and financing through international organizations for compensation and rehabilitation of affected land that have been demolished by the occupation forces. 5. Organizing different training courses for farmers to boost their qualifications in cooperation with the Palestinian National Authority- Department of the Palestinian Economic Council for Development "PECDAR". 6. Implementation of different projects for farmers in the governorates of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, mostly implemented in cooperation with international and local organizations.
GUPPAC team and the local committees are able to implement and supervise different projects and activities in a professional manner in the following sectors: 1. All the agricultural and farming projects, 2. Water related projects, both for irrigation or domestic use for rural marginalized areas, 3. Training for both agricultural aspects or water issues, and 4. Distributions and emergency response. 5. GUPPAC has the capacity to coordinate with different stockholders and actors to avoid any double benefits from similar activities in the same duration
GUPPAC has a important vision that Palestinian farmers manage their land and contribute actively to the national plan for the Palestinian State.