The farmers in Gaza lost over six months of crops in the war that raged last summer. A Norwegian People's Aid partner organization is providing support to the farmers to get food production up and running again.
On the border between Gaza and Israel, in the no-man's land where moving about puts one's life at risk, lies some of the most fertile farmland available to the farmers in Gaza. Many of the poorest farmers grow their crops here, defying threats and gunfire from the Israeli border guards to tend their fields.
"When we returned after the war, we couldn't even tell the crofts apart from one another. We didn't know which was ours, and which was our neighbor's. Everything was leveled, and the buildings were destroyed," said one farmer we encountered.
Because they did not sow their seed in time, the farmers lost between six and nine months of production because of the war, i.e. both the existing crops and the next crop.
"A horrible time"
Khalil Jundiyeh lives with his seven daughters and five sons in a shack a few hundred meters from the border with Israel. The family lives by farming, and depends on being able to cultivate the land situated right at the border for its survival. They often work in fear for their lives; farmers moving toward the Israeli border have been shot by Israeli border guards on a number of occasions.
"We were here for most of the time the war was happening. It was a horrible time. The bombs fell right outside our house, and destroyed all of our crops. When the tanks crossed the border, we fled," says Jundiyeh.
The family lived at a UN school for 60 days before returning to their house. It was in bad condition following the Israeli attack. The walls are full of bullet holes.
"We have no electricity, and the well was also destroyed. That makes it difficult to irrigate the new crops," says Jundiyeh.
Food production must get under way
The okra, tomato, aubergine and cabbage crops were totally destroyed, along with all of the olive trees. Jundiyeh relates that he borrowed money to purchase new seed. He is receiving help with a new irrigation system through the Union of Agricultural Workers Committee (UAWC), a partner organization of Norwegian People's Aid, so that he can begin cultivating again. The funding is being provided to UAWC as part of Norwegian People's Aid's cooperative agreement with the Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees.
"UAWC is also contributing a new main waterline, which will benefit the farming families in the area," says Norwegian People's Aid programme coordinator Mahmoud Hamada. He reports that the well will also be repaired.
"Before the war the farmers were producing enough vegetables and chicken to meet the demand in Gaza, but now we have to import our meat and vegetables from Israel. The prices have tripled," says UAWC leader Mohammed Al Bakri.
"It is important for the farmers to get the support they need to resume cultivation, and to spare them from having to sit and wait for food handouts. We need them to meet Gaza's food demand," he says.
Not the first time
Khalil Jundiyeh is happy about the aid he is receiving, but worries about the future. This is not the first time his land has been destroyed. The farmland that lies closest to the Israeli border is always the first to be attacked.
"Israel has destroyed my land at least five times," he says.
Simply rebuilding the houses and restoring the farmland is consequently not enough. UAWC is also working to strengthen the rights of the Palestinian farmers," says Al Bakri.
"We rebuild, and two years later there's a new war. We need a political solution to this situation. The farmers and fishermen must be ensured safe access to land and sea areas. The borders must be opened up to exports," he emphasizes.