Health of female agricultural workers in the Jordan Valley: an exploration of the effects of broader environmental transformations

Abstract

BackgroundThe Jordan Valley, one of the main agricultural areas of the West Bank, has been subject to several structural challenges owing to political, economic, and ecological factors. Palestinians in the Jordan Valley live in poverty, in constant fear of home demolitions, and with constraints on their ability to maintain agricultural livelihoods. Several reports have described living conditions in the Jordan Valley, but none have focused on the situation of female agricultural workers. This study aimed to investigate the changes in agriculture in the Jordan Valley, and how these changes have affected the ways in which female agricultural workers carry out their work, and the effects on their living conditions and health. MethodsQualitative interviews with 30 women (aged ≥18 years) and two focus groups, each containing ten women, were carried out between June and December, 2019. The participants were agricultural workers in two communities in the Jordan Valley—Nweimeh-Dyouk and Jiftlik—that were selected as examples of different scenarios resulting from the classification of land after the Oslo Accords. Participants were selected using purposive and snowball sampling. Interviews and focus groups were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analysed thematically through repeated reading and re-reading until patterns and themes gradually appeared. Ethical approval was obtained from the Research Ethics Committee of the Institute of Community and Public Health. Informed verbal consent was obtained from all participants. FindingsThe role of female individuals in agriculture has changed with the introduction of agricultural technology. Although technology has decreased the effort required to prepare land, which is mainly done by male individuals, the increased production has required greater efforts in harvesting crops and loading boxes, which are tasks mainly done by women. Although agricultural work is the main occupation of women in the Jordan Valley, there has been a decline in its economic benefits, because of land confiscation and restrictions on water resources by Israeli occupation. This decrease has led to female individuals pursuing different routes to earn an income. Some women continue to work in agriculture on family land, whereas others have started to work on Palestinian or Israeli farms outside the family. Some women migrate, with their family, to other locations to work in agriculture. Women in the first category have better living conditions and social interactions with their community but have difficult economic conditions. Those in the second category have better economic conditions, and those in the third category have very poor living, social, and economic conditions compared with those in the other categories. In terms of the health effects of their work, most women reported that carrying heavy loads and continuous bending when harvesting affected their bones, muscles, and joints. There were several cases of asthma, and respiratory and skin allergies. Additional problems related to dehydration and poor nutrition, resulting from increased workloads and difficult living conditions, were reported. InterpretationChanges in the agricultural sector in the Jordan Valley have affected the way in which female agricultural workers carry out their work, as well as their living conditions and health status. Difficult living conditions, together with occupational exposure, and lack of awareness of safety measures and agronomic techniques and skills, have negatively affected the health status of female agricultural workers. Unless more attention is given to this group of female workers, they will continue to experience difficult living conditions, low levels of social interaction, lack of proper employment (without formal or stable salaries, contracts, or annual leave) and adverse effects on their health. FundingArab Council for the Social Sciences, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.