Enhancing Market oriented Urban Agriculture in Gaza Strip Networking for positive policy change sustainability and city resilience The GUPAP seeks to contribute to sustainable and resilient development of urban and peri-urban agriculture in the Gaza Strip through policy influencing, awareness raising, lobbying, advocacy and networking among multiple stakeholders. The GUPAP will set up a reference center for information resources in urban and peri-urban agriculture and will facilitate institutional and community capacity development towards an agricultural sector which is characterized by resilience, sustainability and sovereignty.

Given the specific context of Gaza, where economic opportunities are very limited, project team has reached the conclusion that any market-oriented urban agriculture programme should focus on promoting a resilient local development approach and making the best use of what is locally available. Markets for agricultural production play an important role in this, despite the imposed import and export restrictions that severely limit their development. Greater networking, coordination and exchange with relevant stakeholders is needed to shift the focus away from emergency aid only towards the integration of long-term economic development policies and initiatives, despite the difficult context. The three-year Project (2013-2017) Facilitating Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture in Gaza, is funded by SDC, and implemented by Oxfam and RUAF. The Project is implemented with the aim to increase income for men and women engaged in small-scale urban and peri-urban agriculture in the Gaza Strip. The Projects inter-related specific objectives (Outcomes) revolve around service supply markets, extension services, and enabling policy and governance frameworks. Under the projects outcomes, new and revised policy strategies and measures for urban agriculture aimed at supplying the local market are expected to be developed and taken up by local and national government institutions. This aspect of the project is being implemented in close coordination with/through the Gaza Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture Platform (GUPAP) and its 80 member organizations key multi-stakeholders who represent various sectors including government, private sector, civil society, universities and agricultural local micro-finance institutions.

The GUPAP has been facilitated, incapacitated and institutionalized by Oxfm and RUAF and its members , and part of it 3 years strategy it will continue providing such capacity development services to its members through a learning and action/ knowledge and experience transfer at local, national, regional and global levels .https://www.facebook.com/pg/GazaGUPAP/about/?ref=page_internal

In Gaza, Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture development is aligned with a broader vision of supporting a more resilient agricultural sector that seeks to contribute to Gaza being more food secure, less dependent and vulnerable, and with its population having improved access to sustainable jobs and income, improved livelihoods and a safer environment. This will be achieved by the following strategies: Increasing local production and the competitiveness of local products . Reducing dependency on external imports and energy. Facilitating a more favorable institutional and policy environment in which agricultural value chains operate, sustained and networked at institutional and community levels. GUPAP is seen since 2013 as the main multi-stockholders platform through which the policy objectives of actors can be implemented; it fulfils the need for a multi-stakeholder interactive and participatory forum that brings together 80 key actors (including local governance) involved in the development of a resilient Palestinian agricultural sector. It is local registered as an NGO based on the Palestinian NGO low. National, regional and global networking and cooperation are integral part of GUPAP's strategy

A multi stakeholders platform that includes 80 local and national members seeking to positively influencing agricultural policies for more resilient, sustainable and market oriented urban agriculture development in Gaza Strip. Please see gupap.org & https://www.facebook.com/GazaGUPAP/