Displaced Gaza farmers grow crops in dirt beside tents amid severe food shortages

A displaced Palestinian farmer plants seedlings in Gaza, where severe food shortages and farmland destruction have forced families to cultivate their own food. Since October 2023, extensive Israeli bulldozing has devastated the Sheikh Ijlin neighborhood, turning it into a barren wasteland. This destruction has stripped thousands of families of their homes and livelihoods.

Farmers Transforming Small Patches of Dirt

Today, many displaced Palestinians are creating miniature gardens in the limited dirt around their tents. One displaced farmer shared her reliance on this method to grow essential crops like tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and molokhia greens to feed her family, which includes orphaned children. Despite facing severe shortages of water, seeds, and fertilizers, farmers like Abu Mohammed continue to work the soil, viewing agriculture as both an income source and a form of resistance.

Destruction of Gaza's Agricultural Landscape

According to the Ministry of Agriculture in Gaza, cultivated areas have decreased to less than 15 percent of their usual productive capacity due to the lack of agricultural inputs and irrigation sources. Accessing former farmlands has become perilous, as Israeli forces have designated large swaths of farmland within their “Yellow Line,” making it nearly impossible to reach due to artillery fire.

• Less than 5% of Gaza's cropland remains available for cultivation.
• Annual agricultural production has dropped from 405,000 tonnes to 28,000 tonnes.
• Up to 4 million fruit trees have been uprooted, including 1.6 million olive trees.
• Direct losses in the agricultural sector are estimated at $2.8 billion.

International Response and Future Outlook

Experts warn that this devastation is a deliberate strategy rather than collateral damage. Fadel El-Zubi, a food security expert at the FAO, stated that the destruction targets Gaza’s entire food system, pushing the population into forced dependence on food aid. Before the current conflict, agriculture accounted for about 10 percent of Gaza’s economy, supporting over 560,000 people. The FAO has launched an urgent appeal for $75 million to support farmers with essential supplies, but less than 10 percent of this amount has been funded.

Gaza's farmers continue to strive to revive whatever remains of their agricultural land, clinging to hope of restoring a sector that was once vital for their survival.