Gaza’s Farmland Faces Big Challenges: Only 5% Usable After Conflict, Says UN

Did you know that plants need good land to grow? 🌱

In Gaza, a place in the Middle East, farmers are having a really hard time. Because of conflicts (which are like big fights between groups), most of their land can’t be used to grow food anymore.

A new report from the United Nations (that’s a group of countries working together to help the world) says that less than 5% of Gaza’s farmland can still be used. That’s like if you had 100 pieces of candy but could only eat 5 of them! 🍬

Why is this happening?

Well, a lot of the farmland got damaged during conflicts. Imagine if someone stepped all over your garden and broke your plants. Not fun, right? 😔

Over 80% of the fields have been damaged.
Most greenhouses (special houses for plants) are broken.
Many water wells (used to get water for plants) are not working.

Beth Bechdol, a leader at the UN, said, “This level of destruction is not just a loss of infrastructure – it is a collapse of Gaza’s agrifood system and of lifelines.“

Before all this happened, farming was a big part of life in Gaza. It helped over half a million people! 👨‍🌾👩‍🌾 They grew crops, took care of animals, and went fishing.

Now, because so much land is unusable, it’s getting harder for people to get food. This is really tough, especially for kids and families who rely on these farms.

What can we do?

While we might not be able to fix the land ourselves, we can learn about these issues and think about how important peace is. When people work together instead of fighting, everyone has a better chance to grow and eat healthy food.

Reference(s):
Conflict leaves less than 5% of cropland in Gaza usable, UN finds
cgtn.com