Letter on Agriculture in Palestine

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  Adrian Ramsay MP co-signed this cross-party letter initiated by Steve Witherden MP.

  Hamish Falconer MP

  Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

  Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

  King Charles Street

  London

  SW1A 2AH

  19th December 2025

  Dear Minister Falconer,

  Agriculture has long been central to livelihoods and food security in Gaza. Yet widespread

  destruction of farmland, irrigation systems, and storage facilities has devastated production.

  Restrictions on seed imports, the lack of locally produced fertilisers and pesticides, and soil

  degradation have deepened reliance on food aid. The Israeli Government’s blockade of aid into

  the region has led to widespread famine and malnutrition, with children, older people and those

  with pre-existing health conditions the most affected.

  The UK Government should help establish humanitarian corridors for agricultural inputs -

  including seeds, fertilisers, and machinery - and strengthen local food systems to reduce

  dependency and restore dignity. Soil contamination and the loss of resilient seed varieties also

  require urgent assessment and restoration to safeguard future harvests and resilience.

  Agriculture has always been a key source of income and employment across Palestine, with

  people frequently working into older age alongside their families. Older farmers who have lived

  through recurrent conflict, hold the traditional knowledge to recover the local food systems for

  their communities. But access to cultivable land remains limited, with mines, rubble, and

  destroyed infrastructure preventing safe farming. The UK should facilitate debris clearance and

  land rehabilitation, provide basic tools and seeds to smallholder farmers, and promote shared-

  resource farming models that enable collective recovery and market access.

  Following the UK’s recognition of a Palestinian state, restoring land access and sovereignty is

  vital. Many farmers cannot reclaim or cultivate land that has been destroyed, contaminated, or

  deliberately targeted and without access to the right equipment. The UK should support land

  clearance and safe certification, implement soil regeneration and replanting programmes, and

  advocate for farmers’ land rights as part of a recovery that leaves no one behind.

  Agricultural relief must intentionally include all marginalised groups – older people, children,

  women, and people with disabilities - who are essential to rebuilding Gaza’s agricultural

  foundation and ensuring a sustainable, dignified future.

  This letter was written alongside Age International, and we hope that you will be able to meet

  with us to discuss this further. We look forward to your response.

  Yours sincerely,

  Steve Witherden MP

  Diane Abbott MP

  Shockat Adam MP

  Bell Ribeiro Addy MP

  Baroness Alexander of Cleveden

  Tahir Ali MP

  Josh Babarinde MP

  Paula Barker MP

  Lorraine Beavers MP

  Apsana Begum MP

  Sian Berry MP

  Olivia Blake MP

  Baroness Blower

  Richard Burgon MP

  Dawn Butler MP

  Ian Byrne MP

  Wendy Chamberlain MP

  Sarah Champion MP

  Dr Ellie Chowns MP

  Marsha De Cordova MP

  Jeremy Corbyn MP

  Steve Darling MP

  Ann Davies MP

  Carla Denyer MP

  Neil Duncan-Jordan MP

  Colum Eastwood MP

  Sorcha Eastwood MP

  Cat Eccles MP

  Tim Farron MP

  Andrew George MP

  Rachel Gilmour MP

  Patricia Ferguson MP

  Mary Kelly Foy MP

  Claire Hanna MP

  Lord Hendy KC

  Chris Hinchliffe MP

  Adnan Hussain MP

  Imran Hussain MP

  Baroness Hussein-Ece

  Liz Jarvis MP

  Kim Johnson MP

  Afzal Khan MP

  Ayoub Khan MP

  Ben Lake MP

  Peter Lamb MP

  Ian Lavery MP

  Chris Law MP

  Brian Leishman MP

  Clive Lewis MP

  Baroness Lister of Burtersett

  Seamus Logan MP

  Rebecca Long-Bailey MP

  Rachael Maskell MP

  Andy McDonald MP

  John McDonnell MP

  Llinos Medi MP

  John Milne MP

  Abtisam Mohamed MP

  Iqbal Mohamed MP

  Layla Moran MP

  Grahame Morris MP

  Lord Oates

  Brendan O'Hara MP

  Dr Simon Opher MP

  Kate Osborne MP

  Manuela Perteghella MP

  Yasmin Qureshi MP

  Adrian Ramsay MP

  Martin Rhodes MP

  Liz Saville Roberts MP

  Roz Savage MP

  Baroness Sheehan

  Lord Singh of Wimbledon

  Vikki Slade MP

  Cat Smith MP

  Jamie Stone MP

  Lord Soames of Fletching

  Alex Sobel MP

  Jon Trickett MP

  Valerie Vaz MP

  Nadia Whittome MP

  Lord Woodley

  Mohammad Yasin MP