Farming on
land that has become almost impossible to farm is now daily reality for 62 year
old Naeem El Laham, also known as Abu Mohammed. Together with his wife, 6 sons,
5 daughters and grandchildren he lives on his farm west of Khan Yunis.

“Our farming
land stretches out over 2 dunums. My sons help me with the work on the land,
just like I helped out my father on the land when I was younger,” says Abu
Mohammed. 

On his land
he has small palm trees, beehives, 6 sheep, some olive trees, and a few
vegetable plants. At first glance this looks like any small farm. It is only
when you take a closer look at the plants and hear the story of Abu Mohammed,
that you realize this farm is under serious threat.

“Until eight
years ago we were able to buy water from a source nearby. However, that became
too expensive.” Like many other farmers in the Gaza Strip the family is
struggling for an affordable water supply, they dug their own water well in
2003.

“About four
years after digging the well I noticed an increasing salinity in the water
coming from our well” says Mohammed. “The plants deteriorated, as did the
harvests. We used to plant vegetables on the land for our own consumption but
since they only received salty water, these crops have stopped growing. Since
2003 we were growing lemon trees. When the salinity in the well water rose, the
trees turned yellow and produced only small lemons with a salty taste.”

In 2010 Abu
Mohammed decided to cut the lemon trees as they were no longer productive. He
planted several dozen palm trees instead, as they are apparently more adaptable
to the high salinity in the water. “It will take a several years for the trees
to have a considerable size and even then, the dates that they produce will not
be as profitable as the lemons we used to grow,” sighs Mohammed.

Until two
years ago the family drank the water coming from the well, which made them ill.
Mohammed explains how “most of our family members had kidney problems and the
younger children were taken to hospital many times for kidney stones and
vomiting. The doctor in the hospital convinced us to stop drinking water from
the well and to buy treated water. This has put another big burden on our already
stretched family budget.” Abu Mohammed describes how during Operation Cast Lead
white phosphorus landed approximately 1.5 kilometers away from his farm. The
smoke and fumes reached his farm and he noticed that his olive trees have
stopped growing since.

Abu Mohammed
and his family have tried everything they can to continue working the farm, but
it seems to become more and more impossible. “We need help to replant our
lands”, says Abu Mohammed as he speaks of his wish to continue the family
tradition of farming. 

Approximately
70,000 people work in the agricultural sector in the Gaza Strip, 25,000 of whom
are seasonal workers. The coastal aquifer is their main source of irrigation
water for the land. Due to a lack of other resources this aquifer is being over
abstracted which leads to seawater and saline water intrusion. Sewage leaking
into the ground water has also increased the already high nitrate levels.
Advocacy group EWASH has stated; “In the past, agricultural production has
ensured household food security for the Gazan population as well as contributed
to economic security. Currently, agriculture in the Gaza Strip is barely
viable.”