Gaza on brink of catastrophic famine: UN

By Baris Seckin

ROME (AA) - Beth Bechdol, deputy director-general of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said that people in Gaza are on the brink of catastrophic famine and that a cease-fire is absolutely necessary.

Speaking to Anadolu, Bechdol said: “It is becoming clear to every person in the world that we are on the brink of some very catastrophic famine-like conditions for the people who live in Gaza.”

Bechdol stressed: “The entire population of Gaza, 2.2 million individuals, are all considered acutely food insecure.

“We have never had a situation … like that in all the years we have been doing this kind of assessment. Every person in Gaza is being considered acutely food insecure.”

She stressed: “The new IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) report will be out and I am confident that it will still continue to show all 2.2 million people facing this severe situation. But what we will see is an increase in the number of individuals in level 4 and I think certainly in level 5."

- 'Cease-fire absolutely necessary'

Backing rising international calls for a cease-fire in Gaza, Bechdol said: “This is absolutely necessary. For FAO, we are very much aligned with obviously the UN secretary-general and so many of the other UN agencies who are making a strong plea that the very first step is to ensure that there is a humanitarian cease-fire.”

Pointing out that FAO has different mission definitions than the initial humanitarian aid provided by other UN organizations such as the World Food Program (WFP) or UNICEF, the official underlined that they are interested in how agricultural production and lands in Gaza can be revived.

“FAO is ready to do everything it can to support the reconstruction in Gaza with the agricultural support that will be needed in the final stage,” Bechdol stressed.

Recalling the criticism that the recent airdropped aid to Gaza was insufficient to solve the problem, Bechdol said: “It is important that there is a sign of support, I believe, for the people of Gaza and a recognition that food is a human right. So, that I think is critical.”

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on Gaza since a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 which killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 31,726 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in the enclave, and nearly 73,792 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

- Reviving livestock farming in Gaza

Emphasizing that FAO focuses on vital issues such as the reconstruction of livelihoods in Gaza and is ready to take steps towards this, Bechdol pointed out the importance of animal husbandry.

Bechdol said analyses show there are still enough small animal herds and if animal feed is sent to the affected areas, it will help revive farming

“If you are able to sustain a sheep, two goats, and a few chickens in a small rural community setting, that is protein for a family. That is also nutrition in the form of milk.”

- Agricultural production seriously damaged

About the agricultural damage in Israeli bombardments, Bechdol stated that they made an analysis mostly based on satellite images and said: “Our numbers show that approximately 43% of the agricultural croplands are devastated, 26% of the greenhouses are gone, and about 30% of the irrigation, agricultural water resources, or water wells have been completely damaged.”

She added: “So a lot of rehabilitation and reconstruction will be needed. This is another very important part of what FAO is already preparing for.”

- 'Black Sea Grain Initiative'

Asked about the importance of the role played by the Black Sea Grain Corridor in transporting grain to Africa and other markets, Bechdol said: "The Black Sea Grain Initiative really did have a positive impact in making sure that the grain harvested last year successfully in Ukraine was able to make it to the Black sea region.”

The UN chief and leadership in Türkiye have been working to revive the deal.

- Climate crisis, food security

Underlining that she had the opportunity to visit Somalia last week, where the effects of the climate crisis are serious, Bechdol said: “In Somalia, you actually have trend that is positive. Last year we saw a reduction in the number of acutely food insecure individuals. It has gone from 4 million to 3.4 million.

“So, it is a modest decline but the trend is in the right direction. You still, however, have 1.7 million children who are considered malnourished.”

Bechdol explained FAO's contributions to agriculture in Somalia, where the drought-flood cycle has been experienced at extreme levels for 10 years.

“FAO's own data and the statistical modeling project predicted that the flood would come within a few months and would be extremely damaging and very severe. We shared this information and built riverside areas with relevant ministries and partners. Although it is not always easy to convince farmers about different practices, we also encourage them to harvest their crops early.

“They were growing corn, so we told them to harvest it while it was still green instead of waiting for it to become fully mature, and that they could use it in the animal feed markets. We did this and saved the entire crop.”

*Writing by Serdar Dincel​​​​​​​ in Istanbul