Climate change casts shadow on date harvest season in Gaza

STORY: Climate change casts shadow on date harvest season in Gaza DATELINE: Oct. 3, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:41 LOCATION: Gaza CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. shots of Gazan farmers harvesting date in the coastal enclave 2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic): AHMED BARAKA, Local farm owner 3. shots of Gazan farmers harvesting date in the coastal enclave STORYLINE: A much-needed harvest has not arrived for date palms in the Gaza Strip through September, which according to local farmers, is another evidence of the tangible impact that climate change has on their livelihood, following the poor pollination in spring. Considering this year's delayed harvest season, farmers worried that if it ends in time in mid-October, the gross yields of this sweet household fruit could be bleak. "The coastal enclave usually produced about 15,000 tons of date, while this year it will not exceed 10,000 tons," said Adham al-Bassiouni, spokesman for the Hamas-run agriculture ministry. Ahmed Baraka, a 70-year-old farmer from Dir al-Balah in central