The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reforms (MAAR) are collaborating to formalize Syria’s national comprehensive agricultural plan to revive the agriculture sector through a cornerstone workshop that was held in Damascus February 18-19, 2025, led by Mohammad Al Ahmad, Minister of Agriculture, and the FAO representative in the Syrian Arab Republic, Toni Ettel. This strategic plan aims to enhance the country’s agricultural reality and food production status.

Being a female livestock keeper and a breadwinner of a large family in a country that suffered more than fourteen years of conflict is a formidable challenge. Due to shortages, poor quality, high prices of fodder, and inefficient practices that livestock keepers used to apply, in addition to the limited financial resources available to cover the cost of fodder and animal health, livestock keepers in Syria found themselves under immense pressure to either keep their animals, or to sell off their only livelihood asset and rely on external assistance.

A second phase of partnership between Italy, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) is now being announced after signing a two million Euro agreement, funded by the Italian Cooperation, to support the most vulnerable small-scale farmers sustain their livelihoods and equitable access to natural resources, with consideration of gender aspects to involve women and people with special needs during the process of implementation. The signature took place at the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform at the presence of the Minister Mohammad Al Ahmad.

“Our olive fruits look healthier compared to other fields which were infested with pests, and our production has improved by at least three times in comparison to previous seasons,” expressed Ali Ali, reflecting on the climate-smart agriculture practices that have helped him and other farmers to achieve better olive production after participating for almost a year in the FAO Farmer Field School (FFS) for olive production in Tal Elsafa, Homs governorate.

These olive farmers had been struggling with challenges caused by irregular rainfall and fluctuating temperatures. The olive trees also suffered from a phenomenon known as alternate bearing, where the trees would bear high yield one year and poor or no yield the next.

This publication is a technical report and the result of an intensive study conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in The Syrian Arab Republic,...

As the winter season approaches, livestock keepers and herders worry about feeding their animals due to lack of grazing lands or any other natural fodder resources. The struggle continues with...

Al Ghouta, a green belt area, is a significant supplier of vegetables and fruits for Damascus and rural Damascus. Thousands of farmers in this area rely on the production of...

Agricultural production for small-scale farmers is improving after using effective, climate-smart agriculture practices they learned at FAO’s Farmers Field Schools (FFS). These practices have been helping farmers to mitigate unpredictable...

Farmers across Syria are the country’s food heroes. They contribute to ensuring the availability of various healthy foods on our tables. How aware are we of their roles in food...

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) farmer field schools (FFS) programme in the Syrian Arab Republic has been recognized at the FAO Science and Innovation Forum (SIF 2024) for the...

The Eastern Ghouta in Rural Damascus was a green space rich with fruit trees and orchids that supplied Damascus and the surrounding areas with fruits, this refers to its fertile land and the availability of natural resources that helped farmers to sustain their livelihood before the crisis hits the country in 2011.

Throughout the years of crisis, more than 250 000 trees were destroyed, making the restoration of fruit production a critical challenge as farmers lack the availability of sapling supplies, water for irrigation, and the knowledge and access to reliable sources of information on Weather elements to alleviate the adverse effects of unfavourable climate events, such as heatwaves and erratic rainfall. 

Sabah Al-Faraj, a dedicated female farmer field school (FFS) participant from Sreihin in Hama governorate, has successfully embraced simple, climate-smart and sustainable farming techniques she learned at the FFS, with...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has announced the second phase of its resilience-building project that will support 40 000 earthquake-affected farmers, returnees, and the host communities in the governorates of Aleppo, Hama and Idleb. The formulation of the phase-2 project is a result of the generous contribution from the Russian Federation to support the restoration of the rural communities’ agricultural production and livelihoods.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform (MAAR) had conducted a workshop to meet with key stakeholders of olive...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has hosted an inception workshop with key stakeholders to launch the design of national strategy for food system transformation, under...

Transforming agricultural practices and strengthening the long-term resilience of farming households and communities across the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR) might appear challenging after more than fourteen years of crisis, which...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in close collaboration with the General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research (GCSAR), has organized an informative discussion session to present...

As the Syrian Arab Republic faces growing challenges of climate change and water scarcity, innovative solutions for adaptable and resilient agricultural systems are more critical than ever to improve the...

The restoration of water for irrigation is always great news for farmers! It bears in mind that timely access to irrigation water is crucial for the productivity of agricultural systems,...

More than 10 000 farmers in southern Hama, Syrian Arab Republic, will expect a sustainable flow of water to their lands after FAO has completed rehabilitation works on eighty-eight kilometers...