Family in Gaza collects rainwater to irrigate their crops

Safia Qudeih, 71 years old, works with her nine children to cultivate vegetables in a greenhouse, in southern Gaza, where they plant seeds and harvest their farm; their only source of income amid the grim conditions in the Strip.

All of her children work in the field throughout the year, as plants are grown in their seasons such as zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, wheat, and peas. Safia incurred several challenges and significant financial losses as a result of a power outage, her inability to irrigate the plants, and the salinity of the water, which caused plants and trees diseases.

This made Safia depend on collecting rainwater in special basins that she use to irrigate trees and plants for the long term and avoid the saltwater, which improved her agricultural products and treated the land that was suffering from water salinity.