麻豆APP

30 April 2026

Jerusalem/Cairo – More than 2 000 herders in the Gaza Strip – every herding household with at least one sheep or goat that survived the conflict – have received conditional cash assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the 麻豆APP (FAO) to sustain remaining livestock, FAO announced today.

The cash assistance was co-funded by the European Union Humanitarian Aid and the Government of Ireland. For these herders, the support meant the difference between further livestock death and animals’ survival, herd restocking, and milk and protein production following two years of conflict. Additionally, FAO and European Union Humanitarian Aid provided all herders with virtual training on best practices for caring for livestock during and after conflict.

The project prioritized the inclusion of hundreds of herders from vulnerable groups for support. About one-quarter of the herding households supported were headed by women, and nearly 6 percent were headed by persons with disabilities.

“It is vital that farmers in Gaza are supported—not only so they can continue to provide for their own families, but so people across Gaza can continue to access nutritious food. The conflict has had a devastating impact on lives and livelihoods, and restoring agricultural production is essential to recovery. Ireland is proud to support this FAO-led initiative, which is helping farmers rebuild, protect remaining livestock, and strengthen local food security,” said Minister Martin Heydon, Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Approximately 14 300 small ruminants have survived the conflict, according to a November 2025 FAO assessment. This corresponds to about one-third of goats and 20 percent of sheep compared with pre-conflict levels. These animals are among the Strip’s last-remaining local sources of fresh milk and meat. Their continued survival is essential to preventing a return to famine-like conditions across Gaza and to combating malnutrition, especially for children.

With private sector and humanitarian imports of agricultural inputs severely constrained, cash empowered herders to purchase scarce yet essential inputs that may be available locally but are often expensive. These included non-dual agricultural inputs, particularly high-quality feed (purchased by 51 percent of herders) and veterinary care (16 percent). Notably, herders also used the cash flexibly to cover everyday household needs.

Early results from a FAO impact assessment demonstrated impressive results:

• Livestock survival: 90 percent of households reported no livestock losses attributable to feed shortages after receiving the cash assistance, and 99 percent avoided having to sell their livestock in distress.
• Herd restocking: More than 10 percent of households saw their herds grow after receiving the cash.
• Milk production: 97 percent of milk-producing households receiving cash assistance maintained or increased production levels.

“The results from our cash-assistance-for-herders are an early indication of the leading role the agrifood sector can play in the Gaza Strip’s recovery. Cash assistance will continue to play an essential role in Gaza’s early recovery, but full and unrestricted entry of agricultural inputs by the private sector must be permitted to scale up emergency agriculture assistance and recovery of the agrifood system,” said Ciro Fiorillo, Head of Office, FAO West Bank and Gaza Strip.