Conflict leaves less than 5% of cropland in Gaza usable, UN finds

Less than five percent of Gaza's farmland remains usable for cultivation, according to an assessment report released on Monday by the the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Satellite Center.

The drastic reduction in arable land is further deteriorating food production capacity and exacerbating the risk of famine in the area, according to the latest geospatial assessment.

Only 4.6 percent of the total cropland area in the Gaza Strip – a mere 688 hectares – is available for cultivation, and 80.8 percent has been damaged as of April 2025, according to the report.

It said 77.8 percent of total cropland in Gaza is not accessible, and cropland in Rafah and nearly all cropland in the northern parts of the strip are not accessible.

Gaza's agricultural infrastructure has suffered severe damage, with 71.2 percent of greenhouses and 82.8 percent of agricultural wells damaged, found the report.

"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, deputy director-general of the FAO, according to Reuters.

Before the latest Israel-Hamas conflict, which broke out in October 2023, agriculture had accounted for around 10 percent of Gaza's economy, supporting the livelihoods of over 560,000 people – either fully or partially – through crop cultivation, livestock or fishing.

According to an earlier FAO estimate, the conflict has caused over $2 billion in agricultural losses in Gaza, and recovery and reconstruction are projected to cost approximately $4.2 billion.