Israeli restrictions on agricultural supply entering Gaza mean farmland is struggling to be productive. Palestinian farmers are using empty food cans to try to grow vegetables due to a shortage of a type of nylon usually used to protect young plants. Our correspondent Nadra Al Tibi reports.
We turn to southern Gaza, where farmers are forced to grow vegetables inside recycled food cans after losing their land during the war. Nadra Al Tibi has the story.
Inside temporary greenhouses in southern Gaza, Palestinian farmers are growing mint and vegetables inside empty food cans recycled from aid supplies, after shortages of essential agricultural materials.
Many farmers lost their land and nurseries during the war, forcing them to search for simple alternatives to continue farming amid widespread destruction.
MOHAMMAD ZAARAB, Palestinian Farmer “The idea came from the shortage of nylon in Gaza. We started using empty vegetable cans left behind by charity kitchens. We use them as an alternative to nylon and plant inside them.”
Israel’s designation of what Palestinians call the yellow zone has swallowed most of Gaza’s farmland, reducing usable agricultural land to only around six percent, while farmers continue to face the risk of Israeli fire during their work.
SHADI ZAARAB, Palestinian Farmer: “We are exposed to gunfire in this area. Whenever they shoot at us, we hide until the firing stops. We work in fear and risk our lives while farming, but we want to provide food for our children.”
Gaza’s Ministry of Agriculture says reusing empty food cans has become one of the few remaining ways for farmers to continue growing and secure food after the war that began in 2023 devastated much of the agricultural sector.
ALI ABU AMER Director, Ministry of Agriculture in Khan Younis “Since October 7, about 86 percent of Gaza’s agricultural land has been destroyed by the occupation. Farmers have turned to alternatives, especially for growing aromatic plants that Gaza’s farmers traditionally relied on for production.”
According to the United Nations, agriculture made up around ten percent of Gaza’s economy before the war, with more than 560,000 Palestinians relying on farming, livestock, or fishing for their livelihoods.
NADRA AL TIBI Gaza “As well as helping to continue agriculture in Gaza, collecting and preparing the empty food cans for farmers has also created limited work opportunities for unemployed youth amid the Israeli blockade. Nadra Al Tibi, CGTN, Gaza.”
Reference Link:- https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-05-26/VHJhbnNjcmlwdDkwODE2/index.html