Beyond Humanitarian Hand-outs: Sowing the Seeds of Food Security in Syria

Jun 6, 2017 | Dr. Anas Al Kaddour
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Is it possible in the Syria conflict for humanitarian responders to look beyond immediate humanitarian assistance into resilience-focused work? It can seem near impossible, especially as public discourse on Syria is dominated by the most violent, besieged areas. But there are areas where international NGOs, donors and Syrian organizations have taken significant steps forward to build resilience. One of those is in agriculture.

To understand how such assistance is possible, it is important to understand that not all of Syria is experiencing the same level of violence all the time. Different areas experience more or less conflict, but even in relatively calm areas, communities still experience tremendous need and live under critical humanitarian conditions. Services once provided by the central government are gone and many municipal structures have collapsed. Simultaneously, funds for humanitarian assistance are stretched thin by the ongoing violence. For these reasons it is essential that we think beyond the “truck and chuck” system of simply handing out goods to those in need and, instead, look at ways to build their resilience for eventual recovery.

Before the conflict, Syria was a major producer of olives, sheep, wheat, cotton, barley, figs and other crops, but the war has devastated Syria’s agricultural economy. In the last year, according to the UNFAO farmers harvested 1.5 million tonnes of wheat, compared to an average of 3.4 million before the war, and there are 30 percent fewer cattle, 40 percent fewer sheep and goats, and 60 percent fewer poultry – traditionally the most affordable source of animal protein in the country – than before the war. Vital irrigation systems are damaged. The seed certification system has been drastically reduced, with 17 high quality wheat varieties lost during the conflict. Processing and transportation disruptions make it impossible to get produce to market, wherever the market may be at a given time.