Outside a small organic produce shop in Gaza City, a large sidewalk placard reads "Good Earth" in Arabic in big red letters, followed by "Organic produce, free of chemical fertilizers and pesticides." The same message is on the shop's awning.
But "people don't notice the signs, they come in and ask, 'Why these [high] prices?,' " says Rami al-Naffar, the clerk here.
Organic food is booming in the U.S. and Europe, where many consumers perceive the produce as healthful and environmentally friendly. In Israel, interest in organic food has been rising, too, though much of the organic fruits and vegetables grown there are exported.
In the Gaza Strip, once connected to Israel's labor and product markets but now cut off, most families are poor and price often dictates purchases.
In the Good Earth shop, Naffar sometimes shows customers a poster, hanging near the carrots and cucumbers, which outlines the differences between organic and conventional farming.
"I start to explain, but even when they understand they say it's expensive," Naffar says.
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