In 1983 a small group of agronomists founded the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC), which has since developed into one of the most important Palestinian non-governmental organisations providing services to poor and marginalised farmers onthe West Bank and Gaza Strip, working to make agricultural businesses grow. PARC#s goal is to promote an economic and social climate that would allow the Palestinian agricultural sector to develop sustainably. Another goal is to improve the living standard of Palestinians living in rural areas, especially of poor farming families. PARC provides a broad range of agricultural extension services. It is active in land reclamation and in building rural access roads. The organisation advocates the improvementof rural women#s economic position. It is part of an Oxfam Novib-funded three-year gender-focus program. In 1991 PARC got an ISO-certification. It was the first and so far only non-governmental organisation in the Arab world to obtain one. It has also developed an impressive strategic ten-year plan for the 1998-2008 period. Together with several other agricultural non-governmental organisations (NGOs) PARC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Agriculture, which sees PARC#s workasindependent and complementary to its own. PARC is active in a network of Palestinian NGOs and a member of the governing committee of the Palestinian NGO-network. Oxfam Novib has been supporting PARC since 1982. In 1999 Oxfam Novib, ICCO, Christian Aid (UK) and Oxfam Great Britain set up a donor consortium to support PARC. This provides PARC a measure of long-term financial security. It also makes technical and organisational assistance available to PARC in further developing its program.

PARC

OXFAM GB

Oxfam Novib

Oxfam Novib