For generations, Gaza’s fertile lands sustained hundreds of thousands of families, producing grapes, olives, figs and vegetables that formed the backbone of the enclave’s agricultural economy. Today, much of that landscape has been reduced to rubble, forcing displaced farmers to transform patches of dirt beside their tents into fragile fields of survival.
Among them is Abu Fares, who recalls when Gaza City’s Sheikh Ijlin neighbourhood was renowned for its vineyards and orchards. Now, he says, Israeli bulldozers have flattened the once-thriving farmland, leaving behind a barren landscape where crops once flourished.
The destruction has deprived thousands of Palestinians not only of their homes but also of their livelihoods. With farming supplies in short supply, irrigation systems damaged and fields destroyed, agriculture—once a vital source of food and income—has become nearly impossible. The collapse of local food production has further deepened hunger across the territory, where more than two million people face worsening food insecurity.
Yet amid the devastation, displaced families are finding ways to survive. Around overcrowded displacement camps, small plots of soil beside tents have become makeshift gardens where tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and leafy vegetables now grow. For many families, these tiny harvests provide one of the few reliable sources of fresh food.
One displaced farmer said cultivating vegetables beside her tent has helped feed her household, including orphaned children, despite severe shortages of water, seeds and fertiliser.
For many farmers, tending these small gardens represents far more than producing food. It is an act of resilience and a determination to preserve a way of life that has sustained generations.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Agriculture, cultivated land has fallen to less than 15 per cent of its normal productive capacity because of widespread destruction, damaged irrigation infrastructure and the lack of essential farming inputs.
Returning to former farmlands has become increasingly dangerous. Large areas have reportedly been designated as military zones, exposing anyone attempting to farm there to the risk of artillery fire. As a result, many displaced farmers have no option but to grow crops beside their temporary shelters.
Food security experts warn that the destruction extends beyond the immediate effects of war. Fadel El-Zubi, a regional policy adviser with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said the systematic destruction of wells, irrigation networks, crop storage facilities and orchards has crippled Gaza’s food production system and increased dependence on humanitarian assistance.
Before the conflict, agriculture accounted for about 10 per cent of Gaza’s economy and supported more than 560,000 people. Today, that sector has largely collapsed. Beth Bechdol, FAO’s Deputy Director-General, has warned that the destruction of greenhouses and water infrastructure has brought local food production to a standstill, increasing the risk of famine.
Joint assessments by the FAO and the UN Satellite Centre found that less than five per cent of Gaza’s cropland remained available for cultivation by May 2025. Later, UNRWA reported that most farmland across the enclave had either been destroyed or become inaccessible.
Figures from Gaza’s Government Media Office indicate that more than 94 per cent of the enclave’s agricultural land has been destroyed, while annual crop production has plunged from about 405,000 tonnes to just 28,000 tonnes.
The damage extends to orchards and farming infrastructure. Millions of fruit trees, including 1.6 million olive trees, have reportedly been uprooted. Nearly 87 per cent of agricultural wells and 85 per cent of greenhouses have also been damaged or destroyed, with losses to the agricultural and livestock sectors estimated at about $2.8 billion.
Although the FAO has appealed for $75 million to help farmers rebuild with seeds, irrigation equipment and other basic inputs, less than 10 per cent of the required funding has been secured.
Even so, Gaza’s farmers continue planting wherever they can. In the narrow strips of soil beside tents, they are nurturing not only vegetables but also hope that one day their shattered farmlands—and their lives—can be rebuilt.