Gaza’s farming sector nears collapse as war leaves only 4% of farmland accessible

Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip has not spared the agricultural sector from destruction, with damage affecting land, crops, water sources and irrigation networks. Areas that can be accessed and cultivated have shrunk to a marginal share, threatening to keep the territory dependent on imports and food aid.

Bahaa al-Agha, director of policies and planning at Gaza’s Ministry of Agriculture, said around 87.6% of the territory’s agricultural land has been completely damaged, alongside widespread damage to soil, water wells, irrigation networks and transmission lines.

Al-Agha said various agricultural production sectors, including livestock and fish production, have sustained damage ranging between 85% and 90%, amid the continued repercussions of the war and the difficulty of accessing large areas of farmland.

According to recent data cited by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, only about 3% of open agricultural land can be safely accessed, covering around 4,480 dunums of undamaged land that can be reached safely.

Around 2,240 dunums of greenhouses, equivalent to nearly 16% of their total area, can also be safely accessed. When open farmland and accessible greenhouses are calculated together, the area actually available for safe access and cultivation does not exceed around 4% of Gaza’s total agricultural land.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that more than 70% of agricultural land lies within areas controlled by Israel in what is known as the “Yellow Line,” limiting farmers’ ability to reach their land and resume work.

The restrictions are not limited to land access. According to al-Agha, Israel imposes strict curbs on the entry of agricultural production inputs, including fertilizers, seeds, seedlings and pesticides, obstructing efforts to restart the agricultural sector even in areas that remain cultivable.

The shortage of production inputs has driven up agricultural prices and increased dependence on imported products and materials, placing many agricultural goods beyond the reach of broad segments of Gaza’s population as living and humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate.

A limited agricultural season

Under these conditions, the autumn agricultural season has taken on particular importance because it is linked to rainfall and reduces dependence on irrigation sources damaged by the war. However, the areas that can be cultivated during this season remain unclear, while the productive capacity of the agricultural sector appears extremely limited.

Figures from the previous season reveal the extent of the decline, with cultivated land not exceeding around 3,100 dunums despite the urgent need for local production. This reflects the gap between the needs of Gaza’s population and the actual ability to provide food from agricultural sources.

Farmers are not only facing the risk of losing land and production inputs. They are also confronting the spread of agricultural pests, including the Tuta absoluta insect, which has damaged tomato crops amid the unavailability of the pesticides needed to combat it inside Gaza.

Al-Agha said the spread of the insect caused major losses to farmers and their crops, adding a new burden to a sector already suffering from widespread destruction of agricultural infrastructure and shortages of production supplies.

Risk of production stopping

The Ministry of Agriculture official warned that the continuation of these policies threatens to halt Gaza’s agricultural production process completely, at a time when local production remains one of the most important ways to provide food and reduce dependence on aid and imports.

The impact of agricultural destruction is not limited to farmers alone. The sector is linked to a wide chain of economic activities, from livestock raising and fishing to transport, trade and food processing, making the decline in its productive capacity a broader blow to the local economy.

With the overwhelming majority of agricultural land now outside the circle of production, access to what remains restricted, and shortages of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides continuing, agriculture in Gaza is facing a crisis that goes beyond the loss of a season or a crop. It threatens the sector’s ability to regain its role in providing food and preserving the livelihoods of thousands of families after the war.