Enviro News Asia, Jerusalem — More than 72,000 farming and herding families in the West Bank urgently require emergency agricultural assistance as livelihoods deteriorate sharply amid conflict, economic decline, and rising violence, according to a new survey released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
The findings are based on FAO’s Data in Emergencies (DIEM) survey conducted between July and August 2025, which reveals that nearly two-thirds of all agricultural families in the West Bank are now in need of immediate support. The survey indicates that approximately 90 percent of agricultural households have recently lost income due to declining crop and livestock production and reduced market access.
Agriculture remains a critical source of food security and income in the West Bank, where an estimated 115,000 out of roughly 700,000 families depend on farming and herding for their livelihoods. However, mounting pressures have placed the sector under severe strain.
According to the survey, nearly nine out of ten agricultural families have experienced at least one acute shock in recent months. The most commonly reported shocks include conflict-related violence, rising living costs, and widespread job losses. Many households previously relied on off-farm employment to supplement income, particularly work in Israel or Israeli settlements.
Before October 2023, around 41 percent of surveyed families reported working in Israel or Israeli settlements. Of those, 91 percent lost their jobs following the outbreak of the conflict, and fewer than half have since found alternative employment, largely within agriculture, despite worsening farming conditions.
Families also face significant constraints, including limited access to water and land, movement restrictions, shortages of affordable agricultural inputs, and high fuel and transportation costs. These factors have further reduced productive capacity and household resilience.
FAO emphasized that timely agricultural assistance remains one of the fastest ways to stabilize livelihoods and prevent deeper food insecurity. The organization called for a combination of cash and in-kind support, including seeds, fertilizers, veterinary supplies, water tanks, and basic farming infrastructure.
The DIEM survey, funded by the European Union, covered more than 1,500 households across the West Bank, including crop farmers, livestock keepers, and mixed farming families. FAO stressed that unimpeded humanitarian access and sufficient funding are essential to ensure assistance reaches affected communities without delay. (*)
