Insufficient irrigation is by far the largest constraint on the sector. Only 12% of cultivated land in the West Bank is
irrigated, compared to a much higher 78% in Gaza. Dependence on rain-fed agriculture in the West Bank, coupled
with other constraints, can result in yields one-twentieth the size of irrigated land of a similar nature. As one West
Bank farmer put it: “Insufficient water resources prevents us from reaching higher yields with our current crop mix
and from growing more profitable, exportable crops such as vegetables and herbs…”
In the West Bank, crop allocation is not optimised for
high-value production. Over 50% of cultivated land is
dedicated to olive production, yet on a side-by-side
comparison, vegetable production, comprising just 12%
of cultivated land, is up to 20 times more profitable. Given
the economic, historic and cultural importance of olives
to the Palestinian economy, their production is likely to
be sustained in the long term. This therefore means that profitable opportunities in alternative high-value and high
productivity crops should be pursued by expanding total agricultural land. In addition, a lack of water resources
reduces the ability of farmers to cultivate marginal land, which could be used for agriculture.51
Furthermore fragmentation of the sector leaves little room to realise economies of scale. Around 93% of farms are
smaller than 40 dunums in size52 and there are over 200 cooperatives operating across the West Bank. This not
only limits the ability of the sector to benefit from discounts in purchasing inputs, but also prevents it from moving
higher up the value chain into activities such as processing and large-scale distribution. Livestock activities