This document summarizes a case study of the Dora Cooperative for Agricultural Processing in Palestine. It outlines several problems faced by rural women in accessing markets and services, and how the cooperative addressed these issues by building relationships with key actors, strengthening members' capacities, stimulating the private sector, and involving more women in decision-making. This led to increased income, jobs, profits, production, and sales for the cooperative from 2011-2014. Areas for improvement included childcare, quality control, marketing, and attracting more members. In the future, revolving loans could be channeled through microfinance institutions.

1. Palestine case study
Mustafa Ismael
February 2014
MECIS learning event

2. Dora Cooperative for Agricultural
Processing
“ A Model of Rural Women Enterprise”
Women’s products and markets

4. Problems?
Access to the market and services in remote and marginalized
places in Palestine:
1) Understanding market, and the available opportunities.
2) Farmers capacity.
3) Involve and stimulate private sector.
4) Specialization versus multiple functioning.
5) Build a culture of paying for the service.
6) Involving more women to become decision-makers.

5. How did relationships established
with key actors?
The project team build a professional and
distinguished relationship with many actors in the
country, this relationship built based on mutual
respect to develop and reform national standard
for Couscous produce and replicate this for other
traditional products.
1. GDoC at the MoL (PA)
2. Palestinian Standards Institute
3. Local and international NGOs and regional
authority

6. What worked well?
OPTI
• Build and strengthen members’ capacity
• Involve and stimulate private sector,
• Specializations and production quality and
quantity,
• More women involved in the decision making
process
• Build a culture of paying service,

7. Impact
• Income generation for 45 members through
distribution the gained net profit.
• Increasing working opportunities from 3 to 13
3-full time and 10 at part-time bases.
• 1n 2012 they made net profit £5000
•The coop become well known as active women
representative body

8. 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Capacity
Production
Sales
Capacity
Production
Sales
Capacity
Production
Sales
Capacity
Production
Sales
2011 (Ton) 2012 (Ton) 2013 (Ton) 2014 (Ton) Planned
0.8 0.8 0.8
5
4 4
20
10 10
30
20 20
Maftoul Enterprise Development in Dora Cooperative

9. what didn’t worked well?
• Child-care,
• Quality Control,
• Marketing,
• Attract more members to the co-ops,

10. How could you change what you
are doing in future?
• We would advice the revolving loans to be channelled
through MFI.