Reference :
V-P-IL-E-02839
Date :
22/10/2014
Caption :
Border area between Gaza and Israel. 12 bulldozers levelled 750 hectares of farmland that had been churned up during the 2014 conflict and reopened agricultural roads that had been damaged.
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Description :
The project has allowed Palestinian farmers to sow their seeds in time for the winter rainy season.
ICRC website, article of the 20th February:
"Gaza: Six months on, aid and reconstruction efforts struggle to make headway.
Six months after the end of the conflict between Israel and Gaza, tens of thousands of people continue to suffer, with little or no help to rebuild their lives. Without viable shelter and essential infrastructure, heavy winter storms at the end of 2014 and beginning of 2015 have further exacerbated the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. Progress on reconstruction has been agonizingly slow, while the economic slowdown and damage to homes and water and sanitation systems all combine to make the daily lives of Gazans extremely tough.
[...]
Reviving farming livelihoods
The conflict not only destroyed or damaged over two-thirds of homes in Gaza, it also ruined up to 1,800 hectares of farmland and irrigation systems along the border. Electricity lines, greenhouses, nurseries, storage warehouses and farming equipment were also affected.
"These farming communities have endured the shock of losing not just their homes, but also their main source of income, with dire consequences," explained Janeth Idolog, who runs the ICRC's economic and livelihood projects in Gaza. Most farmers could not afford to make their land fit to farm again or replace their farming equipment.
A lot of farmland had to be cleared of unexploded ordnance before the ICRC could start preparing the land for farming. ICRC bulldozers re-levelled 750 hectares of overturned farmland in the 1.5-kilometre border zone, and repaired 15 kilometres of irrigation channels in time for the rainy season. "I'm really happy that the ICRC has helped us get the land ready for planting again," said Abu Attaf, whose olive trees were uprooted during the conflict. "Now I'll be able to plant wheat. The best thing is that I won't miss out on this season's crops."
Some 1,400 families received seed to grow wheat and peas on 575 hectares of cleared land. This will produce a harvest of up to 2,000 tonnes. In addition, six wells serving 600 farming families are being repaired, as are numerous water pipes, tanks and irrigation systems. This will help make vital farmland productive again. [...]"
Original material :
digital
Resolution :
2268x1512
Orientation :
landscape
Colour/B&W :
colour
