Context
The Gaza Strip is an unstable territory where agricultural problems are recurrent. Food prices fluctuate widely due to a lack of storage capacity for basic products such as potatoes, which are in short supply from August to November. The risk of food insecurity is high, and according to the Palestinian Central Bureau, almost 1.5 million people, or 60% of households, are moderately or severely food insecure. Mohammad is a farmer who has worked for over 20 years on the same farm in the town of Beit Lahia in the north of the Gaza Strip. Like other local farmers, he was forced to sell his produce quickly and at knock-down prices because he had no storage space to keep his crops.
The FAO's multi-donor programme in support of agro-entrepreneurship reflects the FAO's desire to increase the competitiveness of the agri-food sector in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. These actions aim to facilitate producers' access to infrastructure, technologies and inputs to develop their business. In the case of this programme, it is the logistical problems of storage that will be targeted in order to reduce food insecurity by increasing production capacity and facilitating access to markets. The FAO grants investment aid to producers and entrepreneurs in rural areas whose activities increase social inclusion, respect for the environment and profitability.
The project
In 2018, Mohammad applied and was selected for investment aid. The funds obtained in 2020 for Mohammad's project enabled him to invest in essential equipment for storing his production. He was able to buy a 720 cubic metre cold room, a forklift truck, crates and a 310 square metre steel shed.
Like him, more than 400 entrepreneurs have received investment aid in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The aim is to stabilise agricultural production and prices in this unstable region.
The FAO is working in partnership with the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture and is receiving USD 30 million in funding from Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the European Union.
Results
With the support of the FAO, Mohammad has been able to develop his farm by diversifying his crops. He has tripled his annual income and is able to buy agricultural inputs such as seeds and fertilisers. He is able to pay cash and is therefore debt-free. He uses his storage space for basic agricultural products to combat periods of shortage between harvests and thus stabilise prices. In his community, this helps to keep potato prices affordable.
The development of his farm has also created jobs, with four full-time employees and up to fifty seasonal workers during the major sowing and harvesting periods.
Little Extra
The scope of this programme is not limited to the 400 entrepreneurs supported by the FAO. It helps to create jobs in the agricultural sector and combats food insecurity among Palestinians by reducing the periods of shortage between harvests.
Sources
This initiative sheet was written by Léa GIUSTINIANI, student at Bordeaux Sciences Agro - January 2023
Last modification : 29 Jun 2023.
FAO
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations is the specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts and actions in the fight against hunger. Its objective is to achieve food security for all. With 195 members - 194 countries and the European Union - the FAO is active in 130 countries around the world. We believe that we all have a role to play in eradicating hunger.