Syria’s worst drought in many years pushes hundreds of thousands to the brink

[ad_1] <img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/47cc/live/37e3ba70-8eed-11f0-b391-6936825093bd.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/47cc/live/37e3ba70-8eed-11f0-b391-6936825093bd.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/47cc/live/37e3ba70-8eed-11f0-b391-6936825093bd.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/47cc/live/37e3ba70-8eed-11f0-b391-6936825093bd.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/47cc/live/37e3ba70-8eed-11f0-b391-6936825093bd.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/47cc/live/37e3ba70-8eed-11f0-b391-6936825093bd.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/47cc/live/37e3ba70-8eed-11f0-b391-6936825093bd.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/47cc/live/37e3ba70-8eed-11f0-b391-6936825093bd.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="EPA Sheep walk among the dried-out bed of the Orontes River in Jisr al-Shughour, Syria" class="sc-86c96223-0 fHZDyi"/> EPA Sheep stroll among the many dried-out mattress of the Orontes River in Jisr al-Shughour, northern Syria

The wheat fields exterior Seqalbia, close to the Syrian metropolis of Hama, ought to be golden and heavy with grain.

As a substitute, Maher Haddad's 40 dunums (10 acres) are dry and empty, barely yielding a 3rd of their common harvest.

"This yr was disastrous as a result of drought," stated the 46-year-old farmer, reflecting on the land that price him extra to sow than it gave again.

His fields delivered solely 190kg (418 lbs) of wheat per dunum - far beneath the 400-500kg he depends on in a standard yr.

"We've not recovered what we spent on agriculture; we have misplaced cash. I am unable to finance subsequent yr and I am unable to cowl the price of foods and drinks," Mr Haddad advised the BBC.

With two teenage daughters to feed, he's now borrowing cash from relations to outlive.

Mr Haddad's wrestle is echoed throughout Syria, the place the worst drought in 36 years has slashed wheat harvests by 40% and is pushing a rustic - the place practically 90% of the inhabitants already lives in poverty - to the brink of a wider meals disaster.

A report from the United Nations' Meals and Agriculture Group (FAO) estimates Syria will face a wheat shortfall of two.73m tonnes this yr, the equal of annual dietary wants for 16.25 million folks.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/2e52/live/42ad0000-8eee-11f0-84c8-99de564f0440.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/2e52/live/42ad0000-8eee-11f0-84c8-99de564f0440.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/2e52/live/42ad0000-8eee-11f0-84c8-99de564f0440.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/2e52/live/42ad0000-8eee-11f0-84c8-99de564f0440.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/2e52/live/42ad0000-8eee-11f0-84c8-99de564f0440.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/2e52/live/42ad0000-8eee-11f0-84c8-99de564f0440.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/2e52/live/42ad0000-8eee-11f0-84c8-99de564f0440.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/2e52/live/42ad0000-8eee-11f0-84c8-99de564f0440.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Maher Haddad Maher Haddad" class="sc-86c96223-0 fHZDyi"/> Maher Haddad Farmer Maher Haddad stated the drought had been disastrous for his crops

With out extra meals assist or the power to import wheat, Syria's starvation disaster is about to worsen dramatically, warned Piro Tomaso Perri, FAO's senior programme officer for Syria.

"Meals insecurity may attain unprecedented ranges by late 2025 into mid-2026," he stated, noting that greater than 14 million Syrians - six in 10 folks - are already struggling to eat sufficient. Of these, 9.1 million face acute starvation, together with 1.3 million in extreme situations, whereas 5.5 million threat sliding into disaster with out pressing intervention.

The identical report confirmed rainfall has dropped by practically 70%, crippling 75% of Syria's rain-fed farmland.

"That is the distinction between households with the ability to keep of their communities or being pressured emigrate," Mr Perri stated. "For city households, it means rising bread costs. For rural households, it means the collapse of their livelihoods."

Farming households are already promoting livestock to complement misplaced incomes from wheat, decreasing their variety of each day meals, and there was an increase in malnutrition charges amongst youngsters and pregnant girls.

But, the implications of the drought stretch far past the hundreds of kilometres of barren farmlands.

Wheat is a staple crop in Syria. It's the predominant ingredient for bread and pasta - two meals staples that ought to be low price meals to households. So with the dearth of wheat provide, the fee goes up.

For 39-year-old widow Sanaa Mahamid, affording bread has turn out to be an enormous wrestle.

With six youngsters between the ages of 9 and 20, she depends on the wages of two sons, however their salaries usually are not sufficient to cowl the household's fundamental bills.

"Typically we borrow cash simply to purchase bread," she stated.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/64e1/live/ff3a3210-8eee-11f0-84c8-99de564f0440.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/64e1/live/ff3a3210-8eee-11f0-84c8-99de564f0440.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/64e1/live/ff3a3210-8eee-11f0-84c8-99de564f0440.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/64e1/live/ff3a3210-8eee-11f0-84c8-99de564f0440.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/64e1/live/ff3a3210-8eee-11f0-84c8-99de564f0440.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/64e1/live/ff3a3210-8eee-11f0-84c8-99de564f0440.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/64e1/live/ff3a3210-8eee-11f0-84c8-99de564f0440.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/64e1/live/ff3a3210-8eee-11f0-84c8-99de564f0440.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="EPA A truck is loaded with wheat from a Russian-flagged ship in the port of Tartous, Syria" class="sc-86c96223-0 fHZDyi"/> EPA Syria is relying extra closely on wheat imports, together with shipments from Russia

Final yr, a bag of bread price Sanna 500 Syrian kilos ($4.1; £3; €3.5), however now it's 4,500 Syrian kilos. To feed her household, Sanaa wants two baggage a day - an expense of 9,000 kilos, earlier than accounting for another meals.

"That is an excessive amount of. That is simply bread, and we nonetheless want different issues," she stated. "If the worth of bread rises once more, this can be a giant downside. An important factor is bread."

The disaster is a problem for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, as his administration works to rebuild Syria within the aftermath of the 14-year battle and the elimination of former chief Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Worldwide companies, just like the UN World Meals Programme (WFP), are dashing to step in alongside the federal government to supply bread subsidies for these susceptible to going through extreme meals insecurity.

However assist officers warn that subsidies are solely a short lived repair, and that the long-term stability of Syria depends upon whether or not farmers can keep on their land and maintain manufacturing.

"We're attempting to maintain folks within the farming sport," Marianne Ward, the WFP's nation director for Syria, stated. She has labored to provide $8m (£6m; €6.9m) in direct funds to small farmers - about 150,000 folks - who misplaced all of their crops.

"For those who're not going to generate profits, you are going to go away the land. And then you definately're not going to have people who find themselves going to be working within the agriculture sector which is important for the economic system," she stated

However after greater than a decade of conflict, Syria's agricultural sector was already battered by financial collapse, destroyed irrigation programs, and mined fields.

Dr Ali Aloush, the agriculture director for the Deir al-Zour area, Syria's breadbasket, stated wheat fields wanted to be irrigated 4 to 6 occasions per season, however that as a result of lack of rain, most farmers couldn't sustain.

"The farmer's main concern is first securing water and water requires gas. The gas value skyrocketed. It reached to 11,000 to 12,000 Syrian kilos per litre," Dr Aloush stated.

The excessive value of gas and energy cuts meant water pumps have been out of attain, and plenty of growers have been already burdened with debt.

Dr Aloush says a precedence for his division and the transitional authorities in Damascus is placing cash into irrigation tasks - like photo voltaic powered drips - that may make water extra accessible to farmers.