Rome: In the Gaza Strip, a dire crisis unfolds as the region’s agricultural infrastructure crumbles under the weight of ongoing conflict, pushing millions closer to famine. According to a sobering geospatial assessment released on May 26, 2025, by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT), less than five per cent of Gaza’s cropland remains viable for cultivation. Out of 15,053 hectares of cropland, a staggering 12,537 hectares—over 80 per cent—have been damaged, with 77.8 per cent inaccessible to farmers. This leaves just 688 hectares, a mere 4.6 per cent, available for agricultural use. The situation is most acute in Rafah and the northern governorates, where nearly all cropland is out of reach for those who depend on it.
The destruction extends beyond fields. The assessment reveals that 71.2 per cent of Gaza’s greenhouses have been damaged, with Rafah seeing an alarming spike from 57.5 per cent in December 2024 to 86.5 per cent in April 2025. In the Gaza governorate, every single greenhouse lies in ruin. Agricultural wells, critical for irrigation, have also been devastated, with 82.8 per cent damaged as of April 2025, up from 67.7 per cent just four months prior. These figures paint a grim picture of an agrifood system in collapse, where the tools of survival—land, water, and shelter for crops—are being systematically erased.
Before the conflict intensified, agriculture formed the backbone of Gaza’s economy, contributing roughly 10 per cent to its economic output and sustaining over 560,000 people through crop production, herding, and fishing. “This level of destruction is not just a loss of infrastructure – it is a collapse of Gaza’s agrifood system and of lifelines,” said Beth Bechdol, FAO Deputy Director-General. “What once provided food, income, and stability for hundreds of thousands is now in ruins.” The halt in local food production has left communities without the means to feed themselves, deepening reliance on external aid that faces severe restrictions.
The human toll is staggering. A recent Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis underscores the looming threat of famine across Gaza’s 2.1 million residents. Between April 1 and May 10, 2025, 93 per cent of the population—1.95 million people—were classified in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) or worse, with 925,000 in Phase 4 (Emergency) and 244,000, or 12 per cent, in Phase 5 (Catastrophe), facing starvation. Projections for May 11 to September 2025 are even bleaker, with 470,000 people—22 per cent of the population—expected to fall into Phase 5, where survival hinges on immediate intervention.
The economic devastation compounds the crisis. FAO estimates that since hostilities began in 2023, Gaza’s agricultural sector has suffered over $2 billion in damages and losses, with $835 million in direct damages and $1.3 billion in lost production. Rebuilding this shattered system is projected to cost at least $4.2 billion, a figure likely to climb as the ceasefire remains broken and destruction continues. The FAO has called for the urgent restoration of humanitarian access and the lifting of blockades to allow aid and resources to reach those in need.
The collapse of Gaza’s agricultural lifeline is more than a loss of land—it is a loss of hope for hundreds of thousands who once tilled its soil, tended its livestock, and fished its waters. Without swift and sustained international action, the region faces a humanitarian catastrophe of unprecedented scale, where hunger tightens its grip and recovery grows ever more distant.
– global bihari bureau
