Besieged Gaza People Farming on Rooftops to Resist Blockade (+Video)

According to Tasnim dispatches, the Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. The Tel Aviv regime has also turned more than a third of Gaza's agricultural lands into a buffer zone near its border with the coastal enclave. In practice, this means that Palestinian farmers have very limited access to the area, and often risk being shot at by the Zionist soldiers stationed nearby.

The Gaza Strip has resisted against all wars imposed on it and the people of Gaza are committed to continuing their resistance by all means.

In order to keep up the resistance, it is necessary to adhere to the principles of resistance economy.

That is why taking advantage of rooftops to grow plants has become a common practice in the coastal enclave.

One of the Gazans who has launched a project utilizing the method said it aims to promote modern farming in Gaza.

“Using rooftop agriculture was essential to provide people's food needs in the region that has little land for agriculture. Most of the agriculture lands in the region have been destroyed by the Zionist occupiers. We are now training 360 Palestinian children and women to promote modern ways of agriculture here. In this way, we can both provide food for the people and create jobs.”

A Gaza student told Tasnim that his school rooftop is used for agriculture. “At the break time and also during science class, we go to the rooftop farm and practice farming. We learned how to cultivate, fertilize, look after and irrigate vegetables.”

 A housewife said the difficult economic situation, the Israeli blockade of Gaza and sanctions prompted her to use new ways of agriculture and farm vegetable on the rooftop of her house.

“We have been under severe embargos. My parents are sick and need treatment. I have to income to provide for the costs of treatment of my parents,” she said adding that she earns money by selling the agricultural products produced on the rooftop of her house.

Aquaponic Gardening Technique

Many rooftops in Gaza, in winter, are home to leaf vegetables and in summer, to tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, radishes, herbs and even lemon trees. The vegetables grow without soil and without any chemical fertilizers, thanks to an aquaponics gardening technique that people constantly improves.

Compared to traditional farming, the aquaponics system produces zero waste and requires less than half the water. "In the system, nutrient-rich wastewater from the fish tanks, which would normally need to be changed, treated or dumped, is used as an organic fertilizer for plant production. In turn, this removes the constant need for chemical fertilizers for plant growth.