Baheyye Ghannam is 80 years old and lives in Aqqaba village. She is very happy that this almonds season is going very well so far despite all the constraints that face almonds production. Being the great grandmother of the family with 45 grandchildren, Baheyye can’t miss on this special time of the year where all the family gathers to pluck and peel the almonds. It’s an important source of income and a family tradition that extended for 16 years now. It strengthens the bond within her 4 generation family members. “We have a lot of fun while peeling, we sing together, eat together and our favorite drink is tea with sage” said Baheyye. She didn’t get the chance to go to school, so she can’t read nor write, but she is very skilled when it comes to almond peeling. While holding a bunch of peeled almonds in her hand, she said: “I am too old to participate in the plucking, I can’t walk like the old times but I participate in the peeling and help my family”. There is no pension plan to support Baheyye so she is very vigilant towards the production of almonds as it’s an important source of income for her and her large family.
