by Sanaa Kamal
RAMALLAH, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Etihad Ayyad, a farmer from the West Bank city of Jericho, has recently become the first Palestinian woman to obtain a tractor driver's license.
After her husband, who used to work with her on their 30-dunum (3 hectares) land, left the field to work elsewhere as a driver, the 50-year-old mother of six decided to earn her own driver's license because she didn't want to lose the land that she had been working on for 20 years.
"I need a driver's license to transport my agriculture products between the Palestinian cities," Ayyad told Xinhua.
At first, Palestinians were shocked to see her driving a huge tractor.
"Some said I was mad, while others said I was bold to drive a such tractor," Ayyad said.
But soon, Ayyad became an icon for local women as she not only successfully saved her land but also earned enough money to help her husband and support the family.
"I succeeded in recruiting at least eight female farmers to work with me and we do all the tasks that the men were supposed to carry out," she said with a proud smile.
"Now, I can say that there is no profession that is exclusive to men," she added.
Najah Mohammed, a 44-year-old woman working on Ayyad's land, told Xinhua that "even if men leave the land, we (women) are able to protect ourselves, our land, our history and our future."
"We (the Palestinians) can advance our economic, social and political development if we are able to revive the agricultural field, because it is the basis of development and progress in all fields," Najah said while ploughing the land.
The Palestinian governorate of Jericho and Valley is traditionally an attractive place for agriculture due to its fertile soil and abundant water resources. However, Israeli authorities had prevented water from reaching the Palestinians' land and restricted their access to local markets, bringing many difficulties to their farm work, according to Ayyad.
"Israel follows a reprehensible policy of displacing us from our land by preventing us from farming and investing in our land," said Ayyad. "But for me, the farmer is the first soldier to protect our land from Israel's takeover and settlers," she says.
Unfortunately, Ayyad said, most local farmers had abandoned their lands because they were unable to earn enough money to support their families, and a big number of them instead chose to work in Israel, where the salary is higher.
The exodus of farmers could threaten the existence of the local agricultural products, said Ayyad.
Riyad Al-Atari, Palestinian Minister of Agriculture in the West Bank, praised Ayyad's initiative to employ women in the field of agriculture.
"The Palestinian woman is a pioneer by nature, and she is an essential partner for men in building and developing the Palestinian society," he told Xinhua, adding his ministry supports all women's initiatives aimed at creating jobs for women. ■
