Abed al-Majid Hussein, a farmer from the village of Dir Hana and one of Sindyanna's founders, served as a member of the management committee during its early years. Today he produces the organic olive oil marketed by Sindyanna.

Abed was born in 1963 in Dir Hana. From 1984 to 1989 he studied agriculture in Justus Liebig University in the German city of Giessen and completed his studies as an agricultural engineer, specializing in livestock. In 1993, Abed returned to his Galilee village and began putting his studies into practice, both in his family's olive orchards and in the school where he himself studied, the Agriculture Technical High School in the village of Rameh.

Abed's dream is to turn agriculture into a source of income and a viable economic sector for Arab society in Israel. This is what drove him, together with others, to found Sindyanna of Galilee. Abed well remembers the problems he encountered in the first months:

"Although every farmer knows how to produce olive oil and understands the basic procedures for ensuring a quality product, very few manage to meet the demands of the market - demands which are getting more stringent every year. As a result, many Arab farmers have not managed to sell their oil. The problem was to persuade people to change their habits and adjust themselves to market requirements. Gradually, with pressure from the market and Sindyanna's extensive work, they began to catch on, and in the last three or four years the sector of olives has undergone a small revolution. Farmers have begun thinking seriously about quality oil production. More and more people are understanding issues such as acidity, and recognizing what makes quality oil."

Agriculture in the Arab sector, Abed says, is underdeveloped. The main reason for this, he explains, is the inheritance customs still common in Arab society. "Inheritance rules demand that the family land is divided among the sons, so that with each generation the plots of land get smaller and smaller. I know people who inherited just two or three trees. People say, why bother, why invest, it's impossible to make a living from such a small plot anyway."

The solution, though simple, is hard to apply, Abed says. "Whoever wants to work in agriculture must be given responsibility over all the family's plots. He can compensate the others, or give them a share of the income, as is done in other parts of the world where land is seen as a source of income and not just as property passed on by inheritance. Our inheritance customs mean that plots are neglected - in every village you can see plots that nobody bothers to attend. In this way we are losing our ability to live off our land."

Abed is the only Arab olive oil producer, certified as organic. "The reason there are no others," he says, "is apparently bureaucratic and technical. I think I can say without exaggerating that 90% of Arab olive groves are completely organic. Despite this, they are not certified. This is because on one hand there is little awareness, and on the other hand it makes no sense to invest in obtaining certification for such a small plot.

"Again - if we want to progress, we need to unite. The same is true for water. Today, reclaimed water offers a dependable source of irrigation for Arab agriculture. But in order to obtain larger water allocations and to change the government policy that discriminates against Arab farmers in water allocation, we need to organize. If we work together and not individually, we can make progress even against the establishment.

"The organization of the farmers and cooperative use of the land is the only way to turn the land into a source of livelihood," Abed emphasizes. But he doesn't just talk - he also acts. He is now responsible for working the 100 dunams (about 25 acres or 10 hectares) inherited by his father and five uncles. "It's not my land," he explains, "I just manage it, and everyone benefits. Personally, I love agriculture - it's in my blood. But I also believe it is vital for every nation. It is the primary source of food. A nation or community that gives up agriculture becomes dependent on others. For this reason it is important to preserve agriculture and develop it. With modern methods, agriculture can be profitable, but it is important to learn new methods."

And how does Abed see Sindyanna's contribution to this? "Sindyanna was founded to advance the cause of quality olive oil production and assist farmers in marketing their oil," he says. "When I look at the last ten years, during which we have been active, I can say with satisfaction that Sindyanna has opened new doors for the marketing of agricultural products in general and olive oil in particular in the local market and abroad. Previously, nobody thought about marketing agricultural produce of the Arab villages. That was the exclusive preserve of the big traders, who made their profits at the expense of the powerless Arab producers. Sindyanna has succeeded in entering the international market, and thus made it clear that this is possible for us."