ROME, August 14. /TASS/. The recovery of the agricultural segment in the Gaza Strip will cost $4.2 bln, including more than $1 bln for the short-term and midterm recovery during up to three years, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization told TASS.

FAO said earlier that 86.1% (12,962 hectares) of total arable lands in the Gaza Strip were damaged and just 1.5% are accessible for cultivation. This fully excludes the possibility of food self-sufficiency.

"FAO led the technical work on the damage and needs analysis for agriculture, which directly informed the Agriculture and Food System for Food Security Sector Recovery Strategy. The strategy, in turn, shaped the ‘Early Recovery, Reconstruction, and Development of Gaza’ framework, proposed by the Arab Republic of Egypt and adopted by the Arab League as the guiding reconstruction plan," the organization said. "Within this framework, the total recovery needs for agriculture and food systems are estimated at $4.2 billion, of which $1.06 billion is designated for short-to-medium-term recovery (up to 3 years)," FAO added.

"In the first year, recovery efforts will focus on jump-starting agricultural production capacity through humanitarian and early recovery efforts," it noted. "FAO and other humanitarian partners will distribute critical emergency agricultural inputs, including seeds, fertilizer, tools and irrigation materials, to help restore key farming systems to approximately 70% functionality. This includes rehabilitation of both land and irrigation networks, accompanied by technical assistance and cash-for-work programs to reinitiate planting cycles and stabilize production," the organization informed. Funding required to do that stands at about $156 mln, it added.

"Over the medium-term horizon, recovery interventions will scale up significantly," FAO noted. "Expansion of support to fully restore farmland, rebuild value chain infrastructure, recover livestock and extension services, and promote of climate-resilient agriculture," it said. This stage will require $861 mln for financing.

Cited figures represented preliminary estimates as of October 2024, FAO indicated. "Given the continuation of hostilities, damage and disruption, actual recovery needs are likely to be significantly higher at present," the organization added.