The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation has warned that the effects of violence in Gaza will have a lasting impact on agriculture, which will require "significant external assistance over the long-term."

Food production has been brought to a halt in the region as farmers and herders have been forced to abandon their lands. Gaza's 17,000ha of cropland has been damaged by fighting, as has its agricultural infrastructure (greenhouses, irrigation systems, fodder stocks etc).

Latent conflict escalated in the region in early July, since which time around 1,900 people have been killed in Gaza. Between 72 and 80 percent of the victims are thought to be civilians. A ceasefire has held since 10th August.

According to the latest update by the FAO/World Food Programme (WFP)-coordinated Food Security Sector (FSS), Gaza has lost half of its population of poultry birds (broilers and layers) either due to direct hits on their shelters or lack of water, feed or care resulting from access restrictions. Livestock animals are also in desperate need of food and water to prevent further deaths, FSS said.

"Up to now, ongoing military operations have prevented detailed assessments of damages to agriculture from being completed," said Ciro Fiorillo, head of FAO's office in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. "With the latest ceasefire holding, however,  a series of field visits to agriculture sites has been initiated under the leadership of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and with FAO and other FSS partners participating, as part of a broader Multi-Cluster Initial Rapid Assessment (MIRA) process. That activity will continue, security conditions permitting, and will lead to a detailed report on damage to agriculture and recovery needs," he added.

The Gaza Strip imports most of what it eats -- however locally produced food represents an important source of nutritious and affordable food, and some 25,000 people in Gaza rely on farming (19,000 people) or livestock raising (6,000) for their livelihoods.

"Under the most recent ceasefire many farmers and herders are now able to access their lands, however resumption of food production faces serious obstacles given the damages sustained and shortages of water, electricity, inputs and financial resources, as well as ongoing uncertainty regarding the possible resumption of military activities", said Fiorillo.

Food prices have fluctuated rapidly in response to the conflict. FAO said that, with local food production halted and food imports curtailed, virtually the entire population of Gaza (about 1.8 million people) is currently reliant on food aid.

As soon as a permanent ceasefire is established FAO, with support from Canada, plan to distribute fodder to feed 55,000 small ruminants throughout Gaza for 45 days, along with water tanks to help herders provide for their animals.