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Crisis in Syria

Since March 2011, violence in Syria has claimed over 100 000 lives and injured countless civilians.

Over 40 percent of the population has fled their homes, including 6.5 million people displaced internally and around 2.6 million refugees in neighbouring countries (expected to reach 4.1 million by December 2014). Within Syria, 9.3 million people – 44 percent of the current population –  require  humanitarian assistance, including 6.3 million in critical need of food and agriculture support. Each day, thousands continue to cross into Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, where needs far exceed the resources of host governments and communities.

The 2014 Syria Humanitarian Assistance Response Plan (SHARP) and 2014 Regional Response Plan take stock of the rise in affected populations and their needs, with total funding requirements of approximately USD 2.27 billion in Syria and USD 4.2 billion in neighbouring countries.

A top priority is to urgently protect and restore food production and livelihoods. Affected populations suffer severely reduced food production and access, soaring food prices, cuts in government subsidies, livelihood loss and, ultimately, depletion of their resource base and purchasing power. Agriculture has declined dramatically with the deepening of violence, reduced access to basic farming inputs and labour, soaring production costs and the destruction of rural infrastructure. Many families, unable to produce or access enough food to meet their basic needs, are reducing their number of meals and opting for cheaper and less nutritious foods.

Food security in the region is increasingly at risk: the crisis has severely disrupted the regional food chain; food demand and competition over employment continues to rise in host countries; and the collapse of Syria’s veterinary services, combined with uncontrolled livestock movement, is increasing transboundary animal and human health threats.

Without urgent action, the number of food insecure people will increase further in 2014 and conditions will worsen for those already affected. Rising hunger and unemployment would prolong dependence on external aid – particularly food assistance – and contribute to additional displacement and labour migration.