Volunteers Saved US $50 Million in Israeli Produce during War, Study Finds

September 9, 2024

Volunteers in Israel have saved agricultural produce valued at US $50 million since the start of the war against Hamas in Gaza, even amid major damage to the country’s agricultural sector.

Hundreds of thousands of volunteers from Israel and around the world have helped rescue over 35,000 tons of produce, according to Leket Israel, the National Food Bank, a registered Israel-based charity.

Nearly one in two Israelis volunteered in the first months of the war, while both Jewish and Christian volunteers from around the globe came to Israel to help hard-hit farmers harvest their crops.

The price of fresh produce in Israel still increased by as much as 18% during the first six months of the war, while fruit prices rose by as much as 12%.

Nearly a third of Israel’s agricultural land lies in frontline areas, with about 22% in the Gaza border area and 10% on the northern border with Lebanon.

Posted on September 9, 2024

Source: Excerpt from an article by Etgar Lefkovitz, JNS

Photo Credit: Michio Nagata/bridgesforpeace.com