NABALA BALADI
Country: Palestine
Purpose: Dual-purpose (table and oil)
Synonyms: Nabala Baladi”, “Baladi”, “Bathni”, “Khudr”, “Krari”, “Kteit”, “Nabala”, “Roman”, “Souri”.
Distribution: 1 continent
Asia
Southern Levant: hilly areas of the north and center of the West Bank (with a partial presence in Gaza)
In Asia, Nabali Baladi is described as one of the most widespread local cultivars, with its main distribution in the hilly areas of the northern and central West Bank and a partial presence in the Gaza Strip. Its profile is therefore linked to hill olive growing and to territory-based systems, where continuity of cultivation plays a central role in local agricultural stability.
Dual use: oil and table
Sources describe Nabali Baladi as a dual-purpose cultivar: the fruit can be directed either to oil production or to processing/consumption as a table olive. This dual destination makes the variety functional in contexts where the choice of supply chain can vary depending on farm management and the characteristics of the season.
Synonyms and risk of varietal confusion
Nabali Baladi is reported with a constellation of local synonyms (for example: Baladi, Bathni, Khudri, among others), and it is also mentioned in relation to possible misattributions or overlaps of names in the sector. This point is important for TGoP: it helps explain why, when we talk about biodiversity and “territories”, clarity on names, synonyms, and closely related materials is not a detail, but part of safeguarding agricultural heritage.
Rooted biodiversity
In a reading consistent with the “territories, not borders” approach, Nabali Baladi represents a typical case of a rooted cultivar: its narrative strength is not in global migration, but in its ability to maintain identity and function within a precise geographic basin, where the variety is recognized and is part of an established cultivation tradition.
Agronomic and commercial considerations:
It is a variety that belongs to the “Souri” group. It is common in the lands of the West Bank, where it is sometimes called “Roman” as a testimony of the antiquity of its cultivation. It represents 90% of the olive trees under production in Palestine. Cultivation is widespread, mainly in the mountainous areas of the northern and central West Bank. It is considered to be slow growing under dry conditions, and is hardy, with a medium entry in production. Partially self-compatible with high and alternate productivity. It has a high oil content, and it is also grown as a green table olive. It is resistant to cold and drought but fears the olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae) and is sensitive to olive leaf spot (Cycloconium oleaginum).