Drought conditions threaten food security of Syria's nomadic livestock producers
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Drought has
almost wiped out range vegetation for sheep |
The Mission found that rainfall in the country's key agricultural areas was 25 to nearly 70 percent below normal. With only a quarter of Syria's agricultural land under irrigation, this lack of rainfall has had a devastating effect on food and livestock production.
The country's barley crop, which is almost entirely dependant on rainfall, has been seriously affected. The report forecasts that Syria's barley harvest will be only 380 000 tonnes, less than half of last year's total and down 72 percent from the previous five year average. Reductions in wheat production are expected to be less severe, as 40 percent of Syria's wheat fields are irrigated. Nevertheless, the wheat harvest, estimated at 2.74 million tonnes, is one-third less than the previous year's crop and about 28 percent below average.
According to the report, Syria will be able to meet its wheat requirements through current production and existing stocks, but the country's barley requirements, estimated at just under 1.2 million tonnes, will have to be obtained through imports. The Syrian government, faced with economic slowdown largely the result of falling oil prices, can only afford to import 200 000 tonnes, leaving a shortfall of nearly one million tonnes. As part of an emergency programme, the government has permitted the private sector to import barley. However, traders have little financial incentive to import barley given the limited revenues of livestock producers, who desperately need feed to keep their herds alive.
Nomadic herders face dire situation in the Syrian
steppe
The drought has created a dire situation for Syria's
nomadic herders living in the Syrian steppe, or Badia, where
only 33 mm of rain has fallen over the last year,
compared with the usual 200 mm. The lack of rainfall
has almost completely wiped out range vegetation, and with
the decline in grain production and crop residues, there is
widespread undernutrition and disease in the sheep
population. The 1998/1999 mortality rates for mature ewes
and lambs stand at 10 and 25 percent respectively, much
higher than the usual rates of three to four percent. This
has led to a significant loss in household incomes and many
families have been forced to sell off their animals and
other assets at highly depressed prices. Their level of debt
is also increasing sharply due to additional feed
expenses.
The report recommends that 23 000 tonnes of wheat flour be delivered to Syria during the next six months to assist the nearly 50 000 families at risk of food shortages and adds that further international assistance is needed to replenish the country's almost depleted National Fodder Fund.
Even with this assistance, Syria's nomadic livestock producers face a difficult future. The report points out that "even under an optimistic scenario where normal rainfall patterns resume this year, it will take most herders several seasons to recover from the effects of drought. Indeed, some may never be in a position to resume herding and repay loans." According to the report, "a reoccurrence of the drought again this year would be catastrophic for the nomadic population."
8 September 1999
Related links
- Special Report: Syria
- Drought in the Near East: cereal and livestock production down sharply
- Dry weather and poor irrigation reduce cereal output in Afghanistan
- Worst drought in decades decimates cereal crops in Jordan
- Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture (GIEWS)
- Global Watch archive
