Date palm trees supply chain and sustainable model

Abstract

Cultivation and sustainability of Date palm in Palestine is the main focus of this paper. Lifecycle and food supply chain are represented using integrated definition block diagram showing the inputs and outputs of date palm tree cultivation. Doughnut model is used to represent the sustainability of the date palm tree, such modeling technique leads to practical solutions for the enhancement of the different pillars affecting sustainability. The added value and accumulated added value techniques are used to examine the feasibility of date palm growing and cultivation. Based on accumulated added value the payback period for a palm tree is 12 years and the lifetime of a palm tree is 41 years. The lifetime added value per palm tree can reach up to USD 5360 indicating a yearly profit of USD 208 per one tree during the peak period from 10 to 35 years of its age. The feasibility of the sector could be improved by increasing the added value in parallel with ensuring sustainability of the sector.