LocationsDate Palm Initiative Takes Root Across Coastal Communities
Growing Resilience in Eritrea
September 14, 2026
Across Eritrea's Red Sea coast, a crop built for salt and heat is becoming an industry from a genetic collection at Gahtelay to 50,000 offshoots and the farmers planting them.
Photo by: UNDP Eritrea
Well adapted to the hot, arid, and saline conditions that characterize much of Eritrea's coastline, the date palm is increasingly recognized as a strategic crop for sustainable agricultural development. In Regions where water scarcity and climate variability limit the productivity of many crops, date palms offer a resilient and economically valuable alternative, contributing to food security, livelihood diversification, and local enterprise development. Across the Northern and Southern Red Sea Regions, growing investments in date palm cultivation are helping to unlock the potential of a crop that has long been part of the country's coastal agricultural heritage.
These efforts are being advanced through close collaboration among local communities, the Ministry of Agriculture, UNDP, FAO, and IFAD, drawing on complementary expertise, technical knowledge, and resources to strengthen production systems, improve access to quality planting materials, and promote the development of a more competitive and sustainable date palm value chain.
Recent visits to date palm farms, nurseries, and newly established pollen collection and storage centres highlighted the progress being made across the subsector. Investments in propagation systems, pollen collection and distribution services, farmer support, and plantation development are improving productivity, expanding cultivation, and strengthening the foundations of a more resilient and commercially viable date palm industry. Together, these initiatives are creating new opportunities for coastal communities while supporting the long-term growth of a crop uniquely suited to Eritrea's challenging dryland environment.
Preserving Valuable Genetic Resources
At the Date Palm Support Programme Plot in Gahtelay, efforts are underway to conserve and expand Eritrea's date palm genetic resources. The center currently hosts a collection of approximately 200 female date palms representing 14 different varieties, providing an important foundation for future cultivation and research.
Recognizing the critical role of pollination in date production, UNDP supported the establishment of a dedicated male collection plot in 2025 at the Gahtelay site. The initiative includes fencing to protect the area from roaming camels and other animals that could damage the plants.
The development of local male date palm collections is particularly significant given the high cost of importing planting material. According to experts at the center, importing a single male can cost as much as USD 40. This is why developing local male date palm collections is essential to reduce costs and ensure a reliable source of pollinators.
To further strengthen production capacity and research outputs, the installation of solar-powered bubbler irrigation infrastructure covering 1.5 hectares is underway and it is scheduled for implementation by the end of 2026.
Expanding Through Offshoot Production
A major focus of the initiative is the multiplication and distribution of high-quality planting material through offshoot propagation.
Particular attention is being given to the Medjool variety, renowned worldwide for its high-quality fruit. Under suitable growing and management conditions, mature date palms can produce a substantial number of offshoots over their productive lifetime, which can be used for propagation and the establishment of new plantations.
The strategy presents an important opportunity to scale up date palm cultivation across Eritrea. While progress is being made, reliable irrigation and limited access to electricity in some production areas remain important considerations for future growth.
In 2026, one of the project's key objectives is the collection of 50,000 offshoots to support large-scale distribution to farmers and the establishment of low-cost nurseries in the Northern and Southern Red Sea regions in coming agricultural cycles.
Building a Network of Nurseries
At a new nursery near Massawa, a hardening section with space for up to 20,000 in-vitro date palm plants prepares seedlings for the field.
Photo by: UNDP Eritrea
Thousands of young date palms take root under netting, as Eritrea works toward collecting 50,000 offshoots for distribution to farmers in 2026.
Photo by: UNDP Eritrea
Near Massawa, a newly established nursery is playing a crucial role in the next phase of expansion. The facility employs 13 workers, including five women, while three staff members work on a permanent basis.
Here a newly developed section dedicated to in-vitro hardening, has the capacity to hold up to 20,000 vitro plants of date palm. Following the hardening process, , the nursery supplies small-scale farmers with high-quality planting material.
Farmers Embrace New Opportunities
The growing interest among farmers highlights the potential of date palms to contribute to household incomes and long-term resilience.
In Dogali, farmer Yakob Afley has been cultivating date palms for two years after becoming attracted to the opportunities offered by the emerging date palm sector. He currently manages approximately 150 palms, including 30 female trees and 12 male plants.
Like many producers, he faces challenges related to water quality, particularly salinity. Nevertheless, he remains optimistic about the crop's future. Yakob emphasized the need for stronger awareness-raising efforts and advocacy materials that could help farmers better embrace the benefits and management of date palms.
Further south, in Emberemi, Ali Mohammed oversees a plantation established in February 2024 with approximately 400 date palms. Having previously worked on agricultural projects in the area, she is now responsible for managing the site and regularly monitors its development.
Although water is available through a storage reservoir, irrigation costs remain a significant challenge due to high fuel prices. Despite the difficulties, Ali hopes to enter the market and begin selling dates within the next two years.
To support her efforts, she has participated in specialized training on date palm cultivation and continues to receive technical guidance from Ministry of Agriculture experts.
A Growing Value Chain
The potential for expansion is evident across Eritrea's coastal areas, particularly in the Southern Red Sea Region.
In Abo, a coastal village in the Southern Denkalia Sub-Zone, farmer Yousef Ahmed has successfully integrated date palms into his farming system, creating a more diversified and resilient livelihood. Since receiving 300 date palm seedlings from the Ministry of Agriculture in 2010, he has steadily expanded his plantation alongside other farming activities.
Farms like Ibrahim Ahmed Hasil's show other coastal growers what date palms can deliver.
Photo by: UNDP Eritrea
Meanwhile, in Menkaka, farmer Ibrahim Ahmed Hasil manages a four-hectare farm established in 2018. His plantation includes around 400 date palms, many of them Medjool varieties. Some trees are already producing between 30 and 40 kilograms of dates per tree. In 2025, he received an additional distribution of Medjool offshoots originating from Sheib, further expanding his plantation. The farm also benefits from a solar-powered well, demonstrating how renewable energy solutions can support irrigation while reducing operating costs.
Diversity is resilience: conserving 14 date palm varieties gives Eritrea's farmers options as the climate changes.
Photo by: UNDP Eritrea
Looking Ahead
The date palm initiative illustrates how strategic investments in conservation, propagation, farmer training, and infrastructure can lay the groundwork for a sustainable agricultural value chain.
With ambitious plans to collect 50,000 offshoots, strengthen nursery capacity, and expand farmer participation, Eritrea is positioning itself to harness the economic and environmental benefits of date palm cultivation.
As more farmers adopt improved varieties and benefit from technical support, date palms are becoming more than just a crop. They are emerging as a pathway to stronger livelihoods, greater climate resilience, and sustainable development for communities across Eritrea's coastal regions.