Abdallah and Musa come from the Palestinian region of the West Bank, where the company Canaan Fair Trade supports local organic farmers and gives women like Ibtissam Musa microloans to help them become self-employed. Fair Trade guarantees farmers a minimum price for their goods, regardless of whether market prices are currently much lower or not. Musa has been producing maftoul (Palestinian couscous) and wheat for Canaan for almost ten years now. Thanks to a microloan, she was able to set up a store for her husband, and through fair trade she also has enough money to pay for her children's education. Of her six daughters and two sons, four have been able to go to university and the two youngest are still at school. "I now feel stronger myself and well-positioned in society," says Musa. She has a leading position in her village of Dayr Ballout.

The contact between the wholesaler Canaan and Ölmühle Solling came about through the Nuremberg Biofach trade fair. Organic food producers from all over the world exhibit there every year. "My parents got to know Canaan products there seven years ago," says Sebastian Baensch, Managing Director of Ölmühle Solling. The mill owners Gudrun and Werner Baensch were impressed by the high-quality products and the social commitment behind them and started a cooperation with Canaan, with the mill distributing the fair olive oil.

Canaan works with the Palestinian Fair Trade Association (PFTA) and several farmers' cooperatives. "The farmers' representatives are members of our board. This allows us to discuss marketing and demand directly with them. They tell us what their communities need and share their agricultural knowledge with us and other members," says Abdallah. The farmers can also apply for scholarships for their children through Canaan so that they can receive an education. Because Musa has benefited so much from this system herself, she has now brought 21 other women into the fair trade network. Now these women are also food producers. "Being self-employed has turned my life around 180 degrees," says Musa.

Growing olives and other food crops is only worthwhile again thanks to fair trade: "Ten years ago, a kilo of olive oil only cost nine shekels. That's about two euros. That didn't cover the production costs," says Abdallah. Now the price is 27 shekels, or around six euros. In addition to olive oil, Canaan also sells almonds, spices, herbal mixtures and maftoul. The fairly traded goods are exported to Asian countries, the USA and Europe. In Germany, in addition to Ölmühle Solling, the organic association Naturland and the dwp fair trade cooperative also cooperate with Canaan Fair Trade."

Neue Westfälische, 2017.