GAZA, (PIC)
Palestinian farmer Ahmed Khudair is launching an agricultural initiative in the northern Gaza Strip, attempting to restore the pulse of the land and confront the escalating high prices, after the Israeli war of genocide destroyed 100 dunums of his lands in the town of Beit Lahiya, and deprived him of access to them with the continued control of the occupation army over them.
Khudair begins, despite the heavy loss, planting cucumber seeds and tomato seedlings in the hope that the coming weeks will grant him a crop that restores something of life, in light of the scarcity of resources and the occupation’s restriction on the entry of aid and basic materials.
The war had annihilated the entire agricultural area owned by Khudair, amounting to 100 dunums, in Beit Lahiya in the north of the Strip, while he remains unable to reach it because it is located within areas controlled by the occupation.
In an attempt to revive local production, Khudair launched an initiative to plant ten dunums in the “Al-Tawam” area, amidst an almost complete collapse of the agricultural sector due to the war.
Khudair says that this initiative “comes in light of the almost complete dependence of the Strip’s residents on importing vegetables, as a result of the destruction of agricultural lands and the lack of capacity for local production.” He added, “We seek to find a glimmer of hope that returns agriculture to Gaza, and provides vegetables at acceptable prices for the people.”
The land is hope planted anew
Before the war, Khudair used to grow strawberries and various types of vegetables, but the Israeli genocide changed everything. He says, “We stopped farming completely, and our lands were razed like most of the lands in the northern Strip, and they became unfit for cultivation, in addition to being located behind what is called the Yellow Line, which is still under the control of the occupation army.”
The “Yellow Line” is known as an imaginary line to which the occupation army withdrew inside Gaza within the ceasefire understandings, and it separates the areas of its full control in the east, which are estimated at about 53% of the Strip’s area, and the areas where Palestinians are allowed to be present in the west.
Khudair adds that this reality pushed him to think about launching an initiative that restores life to the land, even if partially, saying, “We decided to start over despite all the difficulties.”
Prices and monopoly
Khudair’s initiative depends on renting land with an area of ten dunums, in partnership with five of his brothers and a friend of theirs, where they began planting cucumbers, tomatoes, and eggplants, along with any available seeds or seedlings.
He points out that the main motive behind the initiative is the need and unemployment, which he and his partners have suffered from since the beginning of the war, in addition to the significant rise in vegetable prices.
He says, “People today can barely buy vegetables, and if such initiatives succeed and are repeated, prices will naturally drop.”
Gaza residents depend almost entirely on importing vegetables through the crossings controlled by Israel, which pursues a policy of dripping in the entry of food and basic materials.
Exorbitant costs and scarce resources
Despite the simplicity of the idea, the initiative faces great challenges, most notably the high production costs and the lack of resources. Khudair explains that “farming costs today are very high; from fuel to operate water wells, to fertilizers, pesticides, and seeds, as well as plowing and irrigation tools.”
He points out that obtaining seeds has become a daunting task, saying, “We buy seeds with difficulty and at very high prices, as a single cucumber seed is not available for less than 3 shekels (about one dollar), an increase equivalent to ten times its price before the war.”
Farmers also suffer from the low quality of seeds sometimes, as a result of their age and the disruption of supply chains during the war.
Khudair directs an appeal to local and international institutions to support agricultural initiatives, saying, “We need real support, whether by providing fuel, fertilizers, or the equipment necessary for farming and irrigation; so that we can continue.”
He stresses that the success of these initiatives “is not limited to improving the income of farmers, but also contributes to restoring part of the food security in Gaza.”
An agricultural sector on the verge of collapse
Official data indicates that the total agricultural land in the Gaza Strip is about 180,000 dunums, which is approximately half of the Strip’s area, but most of it is currently located in areas subject to the control of the occupation.
In this context, the Director of Public Relations and Media at the Ministry of Agriculture in Gaza, Louay Rajab, says that the areas currently cultivated do not exceed 5% of the total agricultural land, in light of the widespread destruction that hit this vital sector.
He adds that about 87% of agricultural lands were razed or damaged during the war of genocide, while about 62% of them remain under the control of the occupation.
He points out that areas that were considered among the most important agricultural plots, such as Al-Mawasi in the south of the Strip, have turned into areas crowded with displaced people.
Rajab continues, “Before the genocide, the agricultural sector in Gaza achieved self-sufficiency in various types of vegetables, and even exported about 300 tons daily, which provided a daily income estimated at one million shekels for farmers. As for today, most of the population has come to rely on expensive imported vegetables.”
He also noted that about 55,000 people were working in the agricultural sector, most of whom today live in difficult displacement conditions after losing their sources of livelihood.
Between danger and hope
Despite the ongoing security risks, including gunfire and shells almost daily from the occupation army, Khudair and his partners continue to work the land. He says, “We work in dangerous conditions, but we are forced to continue and challenge the reality.”
The five farmers hope that the initiative will succeed, as they hope that the occupation army will eventually withdraw behind the “Yellow Line” so that they can return to their lands and rebuild them. Rajab concludes, “We rely on Allah and hope for success.”
In light of this difficult reality, individual initiatives such as Ahmed Khudair’s initiative remain a small glimmer of hope, but they carry within them the possibility of reviving an agricultural sector that was once a central artery for life and livelihood in the beleaguered enclave.
