Summary
The holding necessary to support its occupants in a reasonable standard of life, as Simpson defines the term in Chapter VI: his conclusion is that on unirrigated land it is not less than 130 dunams, against an average existing fellah holding he calculates at 91.9 dunams and the 104-village enquiry’s measured 75 dunams (Palestine: Report on Immigration, Land Settlement and Development, lines 1485-1545).
Details
- The figures Simpson sets side by side range from Dr Joseph Weiz’s (as printed) 30-dunam hill lot, which Simpson finds difficult to take seriously, to the Joint Palestine Survey Commission’s 160-dunam minimum dry farm with 240 dunams safer, and the Experts’ 160 to 320 dunams by soil (lines 1485-1535).
- The Committee on the Economic Condition of Agriculturists gave 75 dunams for an owner-cultivator and 130 for a tenant, on 1924-1928 prices; Simpson notes present-day prices are but 50 per cent of those (lines 1525-1535).
- At Beer Zeit, a hill village above average prosperity, the lot viable was found to be 112 dunams and the village could provide such holdings for only 65 of its 180 families (lines 1530-1540).
- With irrigation and dairying Simpson allows the lot may be reduced to 40 dunams, half irrigable, and on plantations at present orange and banana prices to 15 to 20 dunams (lines 1540-1545).
Related pages
Palestine: Report on Immigration, Land Settlement and Development, Economic capacity