Two-thirds of the cropland in the Gaza Strip has been damaged by shelling, razing, and vehicle traffic since armed conflict began a year ago in the territory, said two UN agencies. The escalating agricultural damage exacerbated a food shortage, said the Food and Agriculture Organization and the UN Satellite Center.
“This damage to agricultural land compounds the imminent risk of fame in the whole Gaza Strip,” said Beth Bechdol, deputy director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization. The extensive damage “raises serious concerns about the potential for food production now and in the future because food aid alone cannot meet the daily needs of Gaza’s people.”
In the assessment, based on Sept. 1 conditions, the agencies said 67 percent of cropland was damaged, including 71 percent of orchards, 67 percent of field crops, 59 percent of vegetables, 44 percent of greenhouses, and 53 percent of agricultural wells. Almost all cattle and calves have died or been slaughtered. Around 43 percent of sheep and 37 percent of goats were alive.