Community & Development

Emergency Support for Gaza Farmers 2022-23

Many Palestinian farmers had their farmland and equipment destroyed during Israel’s military bombardments of Gaza. This project helps to replant their land and restore their livelihoods.

Agriculture is crucial to Gaza. It is one of the largest and only productive sectors in Gaza’s economy. However, many farmers in Gaza have had their land and farming assets & equipment destroyed during Israel’s military bombardments. Whether farming in open fields or greenhouses, their damaged land becomes unusable, crops are lost, and their debts start to build up. These families, dependant on their agricultural income, lose the ability to generate income, lack the resources to rebuild, and become dependent on aid to survive.

This project, a continuation of several successful years supporting farmers, is designed to provide essential technical advice, equipment, young seedlings, and fruit & olive trees – to restore productivity and rebuild livelihoods. In 2022-23 the project focussed on the farmers in parts of Northern Gaza, those severely impacted by the latest destruction. The eligibility criteria helped identify and prioritise farmers with land holdings of no more than 2 dunums (2,000m²); those who are dependent on their land, its produce, and its income to survive; and who are otherwise unable to restore their land without support. These farmers were equipped with all necessary agricultural inputs to restore their agricultural properties’ productivity and return to work.

Farmers received services and materials to replant their fields and greenhouses, including:

Land clearance
Ploughing (using a tractor – something small-scale farmers do not have easy access to)
Irrigation networks
Fertilizers
Seedlings
Protective winter cover sheets for seedlings on open land (reusable over many seasons)
Repair of Greenhouses, with new coverings, protective wire mesh and water gutters
Advice from project technical teams on: timing of planting; best crop choices based on soil type and availability of water; rainfall collection & irrigation techniques; gaps in the market; markets & selling prices; sustainability; environmental best practises

During the project, 30 farmers had 60 dunums (60,000m²) of their open land rehabilitated (in parcels of two dunums per farmer) and 30 greenhouses, (in most cases each owned by two families), were repaired and rebuilt. In total, 91 farming families had their land restored in this project, 30 with fields and 61 with shared greenhouses – empowering them to reclaim their livelihoods and independence. The project team were able to provide expert advice on best crops according to soil type, availability of water, gaps in the market, and best practises, to maximise crop quality and quantity for each farmer. The WA team were able to link the farmers with marketing channels, to assist the farmers in getting reasonable process for their crops. This project restores the independence and self-reliance of farmers, ensuring they are able to generate an income and support their families.

Intervention

Open Land / Fields

Greenhouses

Total

Agricultural land restored

(# of dunums)

120 dunums (120,000m²)

Beneficiary farmers

(# of farmers)

91 farmers

(inc. 35 female farmers)

Besides the farming families who benefitted from having their land restored, the local community also enjoyed benefits from the project. Local unemployed labourers were temporarily employed during the project to carry out the works. Over the project, 30 workers were able to find 720 days of work and income. The crops grown by the farmers will also contribute to improving the food security in the local communities, increasing the availability of affordable, freshly harvested, and healthy local produce.

The table shows some examples of crops that have been grown and harvested in this project: