Standing by Southern Israel: Strauss and Leket Israel collaborate for farmers in the Gaza Envelope
Strauss Group and Leket Israel join forces to aid agricultural farms in the Gaza Envelope and establish an aid fund with millions of Shekels for farmers affected by the war. “Farmers play an important part in Israel’s food security”
The Strauss Group and Leket Israel have announced a partnership for the benefit of the farmers and vegetable growers of the Gaza Envelope, which includes the establishment of a fund in the amount of millions of NIS. The fund will work to help farmers. Strauss has asserted that the vegetable growers and the Envelope farmers play an important part in maintaining the nutritional security of the citizens of Israel on a daily basis, making their crops a significant share of the total agricultural produce in the country.
The fund that will be established will offer assistance to farmers and will include assistance for immediate needs alongside building a long-term support plan, while mapping and responding to long-term needs that will support the farmers’ return to their fields when they are stronger. In order to promote the initiative and map agricultural farms operating in the Gaza Envelope, “Leket Israel” will map the farms and farmers operating in the Gaza Envelope, and then lead a professional steering committee to define criteria for providing support.
“Our hearts go out to the farmers and their families who have suffered many fatalities in the murderous terrorist attack of October 7,” says Shai Babad, president and CEO of the Strauss Group. “Strauss has held a long-standing commitment to farmers in the surrounding area, who are an integral part of the company’s activities, and as a result, we will also act as their partners in restoring their life’s work.” According to Babed, the establishment of the fund and the implementation of the plan will allow farmers to recover, as well as help the Israeli food industry and the development of affected areas in the south.”
Gidi Karuch, CEO of Leket Israel: “Israeli farmers are the largest food donors and our partners for years in maintaining the nutritional security of the citizens of the State of Israel. We recognized the need to organize and assist in recruiting volunteers for the farmers with whom we have been in direct contact for years alongside other farmers who are requesting help. Voluntary assistance is an immediate response, but there is a need for a broader response that includes comprehensive and extensive assistance for the rehabilitation of farms.
“Leket Israel is working to create a holistic, stable solution for farmers who have been and are still affected by the situation. It is our duty to assist farmers in continuing to sustain their life’s work and thereby maintain, nurture, and advance the agricultural industry in Israel,” adds Karuch.
Beyond financial support, the fund will provide support for the restoration of damaged infrastructures, assistance in locating temporary labor where needed, and promoting the purchase of local agricultural produce, in accordance with the needs of the farmers.
“Strauss routinely works with dozens of farmers from the Gaza Envelope who supply diverse crops such as potatoes, corn, chickpeas, lettuce, carrots, and more,” says agronomist Alon Piasetsky, Strauss’ director of agricultural procurement. “We have personal relationships with our growers, and once we realized the magnitude of the tragedy, we maintained continuous contact with them and assisted them in various ways, whether by way of psychological counseling or legal counseling. You have to understand, these are people who lost everything on a the most personal level. There are growers whose family members were killed or kidnapped and there are others whose employees were also killed. Moreover, the lands need long-term rehabilitation. The most critical thing now is the concern for working hands. Currently, the activity is mainly conducted by volunteers, so we have been managing to keep things under control to a certain extent.”
Osnat Golan, VP of Sustainability and Corporate Brand at Strauss, explains that “the farmers of the Gaza Envelope play an important role in Israel’s food security. We plan to start these activities right now, and continue throughout 2024.”
Golan says that the decision to collaborate with ‘Leket Israel’ for the establishment of the fund was due to the association’s close familiarity with the Gaza Envelope’s farmers on a regular basis. “Strauss works with about 35 growers from the surrounding area during normal times, and on the other hand, Leket Israel receives donations of agricultural produce from all 800 farmers in the surrounding area, so it was quite natural for us to join forces with them in a joint effort, and they are the ones who will analyze the various needs and prioritize farm needs. The assistance will not only be financial, but other assistance will also be provided, such as agricultural consultation and assistance in the transition to agriculture based on technology and innovation.”
“At the end of the day, Strauss believes that the entire business sector has a part in the process of rebuilding the country, and in particular the settlements in the Gaza Envelope, which is why we chose to focus a significant part of our investment in the revival of agriculture in this region. We believe that Israeli agriculture forms the basis of the country’s economic and social resilience. We hope that our assistance, along with assistance from other organizations and civil associations, as well as our ability to all work together, will provide the growers with the strength to rise and grow stronger from this crisis.”
