With much of Gaza's farmland swallowed by Israel's buffer zone, experts say urban aquaponic farms can curb food insecurity in the cramped territory.

By Rebecca Collard

This article originally appeared in the GlobalPost.

GAZA CITY — On the roof of a six-story apartment block in Gaza City, 51-year-old Abu Ahmed plucks heads of lettuce and vines of tomatoes from his garden.

The department of Gracias a Dios, also known as La Mosquitia, is located on the northeastern region of Honduras. It is the most isolated region of Honduras with its six municipalities only accesible by river or air. Malaria is endemic in the region and its mix of geographic, environmental and cultural factors present unique challenges when it comes to combating the disease.

Through the USAID-funded Colombia Responde program, Global Communities is working with rural communities the Montes de Maria region, a mountainous area near the northern coast of Colombia whose population has suffered heavily from the ongoing armed conflict resulting in massive displacement among communities. Today, while the violence has diminished, the Government of Colombia is still working to establish sustainable peace and security for displaced residents to return to their homes.

By Rahma Ismael, Global Communities West Bank & Gaza

We are moving in the car, looking through the windows at everyday life in Gaza. The sea on one side, children running on the sidewalk, people going about their everyday lives despite the weight of their political reality. Finally we stop in front of the home of Ebtisam Al Hawary. Two little girls pop their head out from the front door, smile shyly and then run inside the house calling for their mother.

Lack of financial education and limited access to financial services are two of the main constraints that reduce farmers´ income generation capacities in Montes de Maria, Colombia. A 2012 study conducted by the institution Crezcamos determined that only 20 percent of the population in Montes de Maria had savings, and five percent had a bank account. Additionally, even though 60 percent expressed having access to loans, only 30 percent of them acquired those loans through formal financial institutions.

Communication rights and freedom of expression were grossly violated during the most intense periods of the internal Colombian conflict. Due to these violations, communities remained silent and restricted both their self-expression and organization, further increasing their vulnerability.

Souktel is a Palestinian organization that delivers mobile services to help communities when traditional forms of communication—such as landlines, internet, radio and TV signals—are disrupted. Souktel’s ‘AidLink’ mobile platform has been used in crisis responses from Somalia to Iraq, but when conflict escalated last month in Gaza, Souktel moved quickly to deliver mobile services to help residents in its own community.

On November 22nd, Global Communities/CHF staff in Gaza distributed food to over 13,000 Gazans who were able to come out of their homes without fear. A ceasefire was announced last night and has held. To date, Global Communities/CHF has assisted approximately 47,500 Gazans with vital food assistance over the last three days.