Published on: 2026-07-16
Source: United Nations – Объединенные Нации –
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July 16, 2026 Economic Development
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is expanding its cash assistance program for farmers in the Gaza Strip. Support will be provided to 1,500 farmers, each of whom will be able to cultivate about 0.1 hectares of land.
The harvest is estimated to be sufficient to provide the annual recommended vegetable consumption rate by FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) for approximately 100,000 people.
Resumption of production
“Farmers in the Gaza Strip are determined to resume food production on every available piece of cultivable land, despite the rapidly shrinking space in which they can work,” said Ciro Fiorillo, head of the FAO representation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
According to him, the results of a recent pilot project showed that financial assistance allows farmers to purchase scarce and expensive materials and immediately begin sowing work without waiting for the resumption of commercial import of necessary agricultural resources.
Results of the pilot project
The new program for the 2026 planting season is based on the results of a pilot project implemented in 2025. Within its framework, the FAO helped 200 families grow fresh vegetables.
Thanks to the pilot initiative, farmers cultivated at least 72 hectares of land and harvested over a thousand tons of vegetables, including eggplants, hot peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, and molokhia. This harvest was sufficient to provide the recommended annual vegetable intake for more than 13,000 people.
Land and resource shortage
Despite the progress made, the recovery of Gaza’s agri-food sector is still hindered by a shortage of arable land, high costs, and limited availability of agricultural resources.
As Fiorillo noted, one-time permits for importing goods are not enough. Farmers, livestock breeders, and fishermen must have permanent access to land, sea, seeds, fertilizers, irrigation equipment, feed, and veterinary drugs. For restoring poultry farming and fishing, incubation eggs, boats, and fishing gear are also necessary.
A FAO representative called for the unhindered import of agricultural resources into Gaza. According to him, it is primarily necessary to lift restrictions at least on goods that are not dual-use products and allow their import by local companies that specialized in supplying the food sector even before the conflict began.
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