Governing dairy microbes in Palestine

Description

Dairy production and livestock farming are integral to Palestinian livelihoods. Producers rely on microbial fermentation to produce dairy products, which gives milk its distinctive taste and texture. However, these microbes, which are essential for everyday nourishment, are embedded in broader social, economic and political dynamics that remain largely understudied. Despite dairy production being central to Palestinian diets and livelihoods, the dairy sector has received limited scholarly attention. Research highlights a decline in the number of animals, the demolition of dairy factories, the killing of cattle and the confiscation of pastures by Israeli settlers who also increasingly use grazing and shepherding as strategies for seizing land (Heneiti 2024). A report on the dairy sector emphasizes the absence of a national strategy, as well as inconsistencies between the standards applied to local products and those governing imports, which account for 40–50% of market share, mostly from Israel (مرصد السياسات الاجتماعية والاقتصادية 2023). Meanwhile, discussions develop over the quality of Palestinian dairy products compared to imported alternatives (Jaber, Juba, et Sammar 2024). However, none of these studies go into detail about dairy processing practices, even though it has long been shown that studying techniques is a way of examining broader social, economic, or political issues (Paxson 2008). This project aims to examine the factors shaping the governance of dairy microbes in Palestine. What scientific, technical, economic and regulatory infrastructures design how microbes are known, studied and worked with? For example, what microbiological criteria are established by sanitary standards, and how are these standards enforced? Do producers reuse cultures from previous fermentations, or do they purchase microbial strains from abroad? How do they select, maintain and apply these strains in practice? The project will document the production of two key dairy products using two different technologies: lebaneh (fermented milk) and jebneh bayda (cheese), in different settings. Industrial factories rely on pasteurization technologies and large-scale production. These industrial ventures have received support from NGOs and technology transfers from countries such as the United States and France. In contrast, traditional dairy producers work in small or medium-sized workshops or within households, relying on inherited knowledge and localized production methods. By focusing on microbes in the dairy sector, this project addresses broader questions of food sovereignty, cultural heritage, and microbial biodiversity within a colonial context. It aims to contribute to the literature on environmental justice in Palestine (Braverman 2021). Braverman, Irus. 2021. « Environmental Justice, Settler Colonialism, and More-than-Humans in the Occupied West Bank: An Introduction ». Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space 4 (1). SAGE Publications Ltd STM: 3‑27. doi:10.1177/2514848621995397. Heneiti, Ahmed. 2024. « لسيادة الغذائية في فلسطين:الثروة الحيوانية في السياق الاستعماري[Food Sovereignty: Livestock in the Colonial Context] ». Geography Journal of the West 12 (décembre): 87‑111. doi:10.52919/cgo.v12i1.112. Jaber, Alaa Ebrahim, Salam Al Juba, et Wesam Mahmoud Sammar. 2024. « The Extent of People Credibility in Judging Palestinian and Israeli Dairy Products », avril. Deanship of Research/ Al-Quds University. https://dspace.alquds.edu/handle/20.500.12213/9402. Paxson, Heather. 2008. « Post-Pasteurian Cultures: The Microbiopolitics of Raw-Milk Cheese in the United States ». Cultural Anthropology 23 (1): 15‑47. doi:10.1111/j.1548-1360.2008.00002.x. مرصد السياسات الاجتماعية والاقتصادية. 2023. ورقة رقم (5): إنتاج الألبان والأجبان في فلسطين. https://www.almarsad.ps/index.php/content/publications/%D8%A5%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%AC-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%81%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86.html.