The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has expanded conditional cash assistance to 1,000 more farmers in Gaza to restart vegetable production, according to an FAO news statement. With this support, farmers can grow about 5,000 metric tons of vegetables to feed nearly 95,000 people for a year. But blockages on agricultural inputs mean they’re operating at barely half capacity — full access could triple output to 12,800 tons for 165,000 people.
FAO West Bank and Gaza Head Ciro Fiorillo called for immediate liberalization of private sector imports, starting with non-dual-use items like seeds and fertilizers. Licenses should go directly to pre-conflict registered importers still active in Gaza. An October 2025 assessment found 37% of cropland now accessible, including 6,000 undamaged dunums ready for cultivation — if inputs arrive in coordinated packages.
A recent pilot with 200 farmers in Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah, funded by the oPt Humanitarian Fund, yielded 533 tons of vegetables in six months despite restrictions. The scale-up, backed by Belgium, France, and FAO’s SFERA fund, targets food security, nutrition, jobs, and income to prevent famine conditions. Fiorillo stressed that unrestricted private imports would let farmers, herders, and fishers drive Gaza’s agrifood recovery.
