DaysofPal — Gaza’s agricultural sector remains devastated months after a fragile ceasefire, with farmers cautiously returning to fields that once sustained their communities but are now largely destroyed.
Although some farmland is showing signs of life again, the quiet across rural areas reflects not recovery but a pause in ongoing cycles of destruction.
Many farmers are attempting to rehabilitate their land using basic hand tools, hoping that a new administrative body expected to begin operations in Gaza may provide long-awaited assistance.
Mahmoud Al-Ghoul, 55, returned to his plot in Gaza City to find it buried under ash, debris, and overgrown weeds.
Before the war began in October 2023, he said, the land provided his family’s food and income. Now, without funds for heavy machinery, he clears rubble manually with shovels and axes.
“We have no resources, but we have no choice except to try,” he said, reflecting a widespread struggle among farmers across the enclave.
Even areas spared direct bombardment often suffered damage from bulldozing, while irrigation systems, wells, and greenhouses have been destroyed.
Farming, once a dependable livelihood, has become physically demanding work with uncertain returns.
In Khan Younis, farmer Ahmad Abu Brika, 42, is attempting to restore soil degraded by explosions. Lack of equipment, seeds, and irrigation materials slows progress and makes it costly.
“This land used to provide everything,” he said. “Now we cannot even afford to plant.”
Rising prices have compounded the crisis. In central Gaza, farmer Khalil Al-Haj, 50, said essential supplies have become prohibitively expensive.
Irrigation pipes that once cost modest sums now sell for vastly higher prices, while seeds and fuel are often unavailable.
Without outside support, he warned, the collapse of agriculture could trigger broader economic and food crises. Fuel shortages have already forced many farmers to rely solely on rainfall.
The scale of destruction is severe. Estimates indicate that between 90% and 95% of Gaza’s farmland has been damaged or destroyed, along with more than 1,100 wells, extensive irrigation networks, and thousands of greenhouses.
Financial losses are believed to exceed $2.2 billion, sharply reducing the territory’s capacity to produce food.
Despite the devastation, some farmers continue working out of necessity and attachment to their land. In northern Gaza, Yousef Salem, 60, has persisted even after losing both his home and fields.
His daughters have begun planting small crops near their damaged house, a modest effort symbolizing resilience amid hardship.
Agricultural experts say recovery will depend on large-scale reconstruction, access to machinery, and the easing of restrictions on essential supplies. Without those measures, a meaningful revival of the sector is unlikely.
For now, Gaza’s farmers continue laboring by hand, striving not only to rebuild their fields but also to secure their livelihoods and food supply for the future.
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