I Was Born To This Greenhouse: evaluating the damage done, fighting for survival

Friday, November 30, 2012

Written by Sameeha Elwan, freelance writer with World Vision Jerusalem-West Bank-Gaza

Atef Al-Attar is a farmer. He learned the farming trade from his family which has cultivated the same piece of land in North Gaza for generations. In order to increase his income and his productivity, he built a cucumber greenhouse—a greenhouse that now needs to be repaired for the third time in less than five years. Not only was his greenhouse damaged during the recent Israeli military offense in Gaza, he also lost a number of olive trees and his irrigation system during the attacks.  

 

As soon as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was established, Atef came out if his house to assess the damage and salvage what he could or his cucumber harvest. “Yesterday I started collecting the crops, but I could only get less than a ton,” he says, noting that his crops suffered during the eight-day offensive as he was forced to leave the crops without water or fertilization. “The rest was not good anymore.”

 

Atef owns land which is around 5.5 dunums (just over half a hectare) in size. On a normal year, his land produces a harvest of 45-50 tons of cucumbers. However, due to the severe damage caused by the air strikes, the irrigation system was completely destroyed. Atef now faces additional obstacles and decisions. If he wants to try to salvage what is left of his crops, he must buy water to compensate for the lack of irrigation water. If he doesn’t buy water, he risks losing the rest of his crop and almost all his income for this season.  

 

This field and these crops not only support Atef and his 11 children but also many members of his extended family—all together 58 people depend on this harvest for their livelihood and income to pay for his children’s education. Atef knows no other profession as he was born into a family of farmers who have owned and worked in this very land for generations.

 

Speaking of how this loss would impact his children, Atef gave the example of the effect the current situation will have on his children’s educational opportunities, especially that of his daughter.  "When Nehaya told me about her wish to improve her English, I was very supportive. I provided for additional classes. Now, she speaks English very well,” he says. “She will not be able to continue with her English classes now. I can barely support the family's basic needs of food. How can I sustain their education?"

 

This is not the first time Atef faces such a difficult decision. As a beneficiary of World Vision’s greenhouse rehabilitation projects, Atef’s greenhouse has been repaired twice. The first time was in the aftermath of Operation Cast Lead, in 2008-2009, during which his greenhouse was completely destroyed. The second time, it was partially damaged from a nearby air strike in an empty field around his own land last year.  

 

World Vision Jerusalem-West Bank-Gaza’s Public Engagement Manager, Antone Azar, explains the importance of the agricultural work in Gaza. “The agricultural sector provides vital income to some of the most vulnerable communities in Gaza,” he says.  “The destruction of greenhouses and agricultural lands, as well as the restriction of movement and access that prevents exports, inhibits sustainable development in Gaza and further cements the dependency of these communities on foreign and humanitarian aid"

 

Atef estimates the damage to the greenhouse and irrigation systems will cost him around $20,000 USD to repair. Although he knows what needs to be done, Atef feels helpless. "As long as there's no money," he states, "the destruction won't be repaired. I will lose more," noting that not only has he lost his infrastructure but much of the crop for this season, leaving him in a tough financial situation with few options for moving forward.  

 

World Vision Jerusalem-West Bank-Gaza seeks to impact the lives of over 200,000 children through its programs and directly benefits the lives of over 168,000 people in 117 commuinities throughout the occupied Palestinian territory. With Area Development programmes in North and South Gaza,World Vision works with 44 community based organizations and schools to empower families and children to become agents of change for a better future. World Vision seeks to ensure that all families and children are cared for, protected and participating.

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