¡°After receiving cash assistance from FAO ¡ I decided to seize the opportunity and return to my land,¡± says 60-year-old Susan Allaham, a farmer in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
The cash that Susan refers to came from a pilot initiative launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in May 2025.
Funded by the OCHA-run OPT Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF), thanks to its?, the initiative is supporting fresh vegetable production by small-scale farmers in Gaza.
¡°For the past twenty years, I have been working in agriculture to secure a living for my family ¨C it is my only source of income,¡± says Susan, a widow and sole provider for a family of six, including a daughter with a disability.
Susan owns three dunams ¨C about three quarters of an acre ¨C of land in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, where she has always grown seasonal vegetables. But all that came to a halt when the war broke out.
¡°When the recent war erupted, my life changed completely,¡±?she says.
¡°I hosted displaced families on two of my three dunams, leaving me with only one dunam for cultivation. My farming activities came to a halt for a long period due to the severe shortage of agricultural inputs and the sharp rise in prices of essential materials such as fertilizers, seeds, and pesticides.¡±
This is why the FAO initiative was critical ¨C providing cash-based assistance that farmers use to purchase scarce yet essential inputs, such as seeds, organic fertilizers, propagation materials and greenhouse sheets.
The cash from FAO was a welcome boon:
¡°I used the amount to prepare the soil and cultivate cowpeas on one dunam, purchasing the necessary fertilizers and seeds. Thanks to this support, I was able to harvest my crop during August and September,¡±?she says.
Susan sold part of the produce to meet her family¡¯s basic food and household needs, consumed some at home, and shared a portion with the displaced families she was hosting on her land.
¡°From the income generated by selling the harvest, I bought essential food items including milk and hygiene supplies for my 17 grandchildren, especially during this time of extreme inflation and food scarcity in Gaza.¡±
Preparing for the next season
The cowpea season is over, and already, Susan has prepared the land for the next batch of crops.
¡°I am now looking for tomato seedlings. I managed to secure 1,000 seedlings, and I am still searching for another 1,200 to complete the planting,¡± she says.
More than two years of conflict decimated local fresh vegetable production ¨C once a pillar of food security ¨C incomes, livelihoods and exports in Gaza, with famine confirmed as of 15 August 2025.
Susan is just one of the beneficiaries of this initiative ¨C one of 200 farmers who have managed to cultivate land and offer a seed of hope against a bleak landscape.
They grow limited quantities of vegetables, which are important sources of vitamins, minerals, and other dietary needs, particularly for pregnant women and young children.
With support from FAO and Occupied Palestinian Territory Humanitarian Fund, Iyad purchased seedlings, fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation services and compost to cultivate zucchini in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip.
Despite the many challenges and high agricultural costs, these farmers cultivate plots of land that are often nestled among tents or have been cleared of rubble from damaged homes. While these images highlight unparalleled resilience, they are far from representative of the broader situation on the ground in Gaza, as only 4 per cent of Gaza¡¯s agricultural land remained??2025.
Susan is determined to continue farming, and like the other farmers, she will be hoping that the current ceasefire holds so they can plant new crops and, with every seed, rebuild their lives.
¡°It is my only livelihood, and there is no alternative for me,¡±?Susan says.?¡°Once the war ends, I plan to re-plant the other two dunams currently hosting the displaced families, to expand production and ensure a more stable income for my household.¡±
After more than two years of violence, a pause in fighting has brought a desperately needed opening for relief for the families in Gaza. But conditions remain catastrophic ¨C nearly one in five children is acutely malnourished, health facilities are barely functioning, and safe food and water are still out of reach for many.
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Document Sources: Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Subject: Agriculture, Assistance, Gaza Strip, Refugees and displaced persons
Publication Date: 21/11/2025
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