Agricultural Development in the West Bank (ص 13)
غرض
- عنوان
- Agricultural Development in the West Bank (ص 13)
- المحتوى
-
16
Notwithstanding security hazards, it would have been possible to
reach a larger sample through the help of hired interviewers,
but the researcher would then have been denied the opportunity
of acquiring a deeper insight into the intricate and highly
controversial profitability dynamics of West Bank rainfed
agriculture. In the case of sone less important types of farming
(eg pluns, apricots, and figs), the researcher procured profitability
data from a study published by the Planning Section in the
Department of Agriculture. ?
Interviewing of local experts on the problens, constraints, and
projected needs of their respective lines of farming did not involve
sampling problens. During his fairly long stay and extensive
travels in the country, the msearcher was able to reach a large
number of respondents representing all institutions and bodies
involved in the process of agricultural development. Considerable
attention was given to the technicians in the Department of
Agriculture, cooperatives, and agricultural institutions. Commission
agents and dealers of farm supplies also provided valuable information
and interpretation of underlying trends. Heads of local councils,
“mukhtars"', and noted public figures provided useful information on
the mechanisms and problens involved in channelling development
funds from external sources to finance local needs. Several
"sheils " (Mislim authority figures) were interviewed on such
matters as interest charges, female labour, and attitudes toward
manual work.
‘The political setting of agricultural development was explored
1, The Eoonomics of Common Farning Enterprises (Beit Eil:
Department of Agriculture, 1979),
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with several Palestinian leaders inside and outside the West Bank.
These politicians were interviewed on the subject of alternative
settlement scenarios which they envisaged for the Palestinian
li conflict. As argued later at length in Chapter X, it
was decided to give priority to exploring the prospects of
development under the present state of continued occupation.
Development prospects under autonomy or independence do not command
similar urgency and might duly be conducted through later independent
studies.
Review of the Literature
This section contains a review of those books and publications
which were of direct bearing on the topic addressed by the
researcher. for the sake of clarity, cited literature is
classified into various groups, whether in regard to its origin
or purpose.
It is interesting to note that while university libraries are
well endowed with studies on agricultural and rural development,
even in some of the more remote countries of the third world,
research on development problems in the West Bank and other
occupied territories is scanty and inadequate for planning
purposes. The problem stems essentially from the peculiar setting
of these territories under a military administration which has
strong reasons for restricting information on these territories,
and more so for preventing any independent assessment of their
development. In its endeavour to embargo "undesirable" research
and publication activities, the Military Government has had many
legal injunctions at its disposal, some of which date back to the
British Mandate and the Ottoman rule of more than half a century
ago. - تاريخ
- ١٩٨٢
- المنشئ
- Hisham Masoud Awartani
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