Why Gazan women are turning to cactus picking
Women in the Gaza Strip are harvesting cactus fruit as seasonal jobs to either save for college or help their families in light of the difficult economic conditions.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — With a long stick that has a curved metal tip, Sanaa Omar, 14, who lives in Johr al-Deek village in the central Gaza Strip, tries to pick cactuses to put them in a basket she holds in her other hand. Nearby, her sister Hind Omar, 13, competes with her to harvest the biggest number of fruits to sell them and make some money to support their families in their basic daily needs.
Cactus, aka Barbary fig, is common in the eastern parts of the Gaza Strip and does not need care and irrigation from farmers, because its deep roots extract underground water. Its stems retain water inside.
Sanaa and Hind head out early every morning to the nearby farms to pick the rough thorny cactuses.
Sanaa told Al-Monitor, “My sister and I try to leave at 5 in the morning to harvest cactuses from the nearby farms. Farmers allow us to pick whatever we want, since cactuses are cheap relative to other fruits that they plant.”
