{"id":315077,"date":"2025-12-24T15:55:51","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T20:55:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=315077"},"modified":"2026-02-06T10:39:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T15:39:06","slug":"west-bank-72-000-families-urgently-require-emergency-agricultural-assistance-new-fao-survey-finds","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/west-bank-72-000-families-urgently-require-emergency-agricultural-assistance-new-fao-survey-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"West Bank: 72 000 families urgently require emergency agricultural assistance, new FAO survey finds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Supporting farmers and herders now is critical to produce food, sustain livestock and avert a deeper crisis<\/p>\n

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24 December 2025<\/span><\/div>\n
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Jerusalem\/Cairo<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 More than 72 000 farming and herding families in the West Bank \u2013 nearly two-thirds of all agricultural families \u2013 urgently require emergency agricultural assistance, according to\u00a0a new survey\u00a0<\/a>published today by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the Â鶹APP<\/a> (FAO).<\/p>\n

The survey shows that about 90% of West Bank agricultural families have recently lost income, driven by sharp declines in crop and livestock production and sales. These estimates are based on FAO\u2019s Data in Emergencies (DIEM) survey for the West Bank, conducted from July\u2013August 2025.<\/p>\n

Agriculture remains a vital lifeline. Of the approximately 700\u00a0000 families living in the West Bank (according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics), an estimated 115\u00a0000 depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, making the sector central to food security and income.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe results of FAO\u2019s DIEM survey \u2013 the second conducted in the West Bank this year \u2013 are clear. Agricultural families urgently need assistance \u2013 both cash and in-kind \u2013 to mitigate the impacts of widespread settler violence, a deepening economic crisis and near-ubiquitous loss of income,\u201d said Rein Paulsen, Director of FAO’s Office of Emergencies and Resilience.<\/p>\n

Funded by the European Union, the DIEM is one of the most comprehensive assessments of the escalating impacts of the Gaza Strip conflict on West Bank farming and herding families. More than 1 500 families were surveyed, including crop producers, livestock holders and families who rely on both farming and herding.<\/p>\n

The survey highlights the mounting pressures facing rural families. Nearly nine in ten agricultural West Bank families \u2013 or about 100 000 agricultural households \u2013 have recently experienced at least one acute \u201cshock\u201d. The most common shocks reported by families were conflict and violence, rising living costs, and job loss.<\/p>\n

Many families previously relied on off-farm work to supplement their incomes. Before October 2023, 41 percent of respondents worked in Israel or Israeli settlements. Of these, 91 percent lost their jobs following the conflict\u2019s outbreak, and less than half have since found alternative work \u2013 mostly in agriculture \u2013 at a time when farming itself has become increasingly difficult.<\/p>\n

Families also reported limited access to water, movement restrictions and land access constraints, lack of available and affordable agricultural inputs, and high fuel and transport costs.<\/p>\n

Despite these challenges, agriculture remains one of the most effective pathways for families to access food and income.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnsuring conflict-affected farmers and herders receive timely emergency agricultural support to resume their productive capacities and restore agricultural production is one of the fastest and most effective ways to help families recover. Seeds and fertilizers, drought tolerant crops, veterinary kits, water tanks, animal shelters and dairy processing tools are urgently needed to sustain livelihoods and safeguard productive assets. Unimpeded humanitarian access must be granted to ensure assistance reaches families without delay, and sufficient funding is essential to prevent households from sliding deeper into crisis,\u201d said Paulsen.<\/p>\n

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