FAO launches its emergency and recovery plan of action to restore agriculture in Syria

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) announced a three-year Emergency and Recovery Plan of Action (ERPA) for the Syrian Arab Republic (2025–2027) to enhanced food security and nutrition. Through this plan the Organization will reach about 9.8 million vulnerable Syrians in rural communities and will help families move beyond dependence on aid, restoring agricultural production and livelihoods​.

The ERPA represents a Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus intervention – linking urgent relief with long-term recovery – so that immediate needs are met while laying the foundation for lasting resilience and peace​. FAO appeals for USD 286.7 million to enable millions of Syrians produce their own food, earn a dignified income and rebuild their lives, and revitalizing Syria’s agriculture as an engine of recovery for the country.

By conducting interlinked activities, including restoring irrigation networks, rehabilitating infrastructure, providing quality seeds, inputs and tools for crops and livestock production, strengthening market access, enhancing resource management, conducting evidence-based analysis, building the capacities of farmers and national counterparts and promoting climate-smart practices FAO’s plan will empower farmers to rebuild their livelihoods on their lands. A thriving agriculture sector will also strengthen community resilience, help stabilize the economy and promote peace by reducing competition over scarce resources.

The plan encounters the dire situation of Syria’s agricultural sector. With 45 percent of the population dependent on agriculture for their livelihood and millions involved in food production, the conflict has devastated this key pillar of the country’s economy. Food production has fallen to unprecedented lows

“The situation is critical! People are not able to meet their basic needs. An estimated 16.7 million Syrians need humanitarian assistance, and about 14.5 million people are facing food insecurity. We should work collectively to improve the living situation of the Syrian people,” says Toni Ettel, FAO Acting Representative in the Syrian Arab Republic: “FAO will work closely with UN agencies, national authorities and communities, NGOs and the private sector to enhance food security for vulnerable people. The outcomes of this plan will improve food security, social cohesion and economic recovery, he adds.

FAO’s ERPA 2025–2027: A Comprehensive Integrated Plan

FAO ERPA proposes a large-scale set of interventions that will focus on four interlinked outcomes to restore the agricultural production and systems, create livelihood opportunities for farmers and rural communities and foster sustainable investments:

1. Data, analysis and coordination for effective action: Strengthen evidence-based planning by conducting assessments, damage analyses, and food system mapping to fill critical information gaps​. This will inform strategic recovery efforts and modernize agricultural policies, including updated agro-ecological zoning and farming system data​, so that interventions are targeted and impactful.
2. Boosting food production and nutrition through provision of emergency support to farmers to increase the availability of food in the immediate​. Key activities include supporting wheat production, protecting and restocking livestock herds, rehabilitating irrigation and drainage systems, and providing cash and voucher assistance to vulnerable households to improve their nutrition​.
3. Building resilient livelihoods by assisting smallholder farmers – including internally displaced people (IDPs) and host communities – regain their livelihoods and income sources​ through engaging them into early recovery programmes (such as FAO’s Farmer Field Schools and entrepreneurship training), providing quality agricultural inputs and technical training, and restoring essential agricultural services like laboratories and clinics.​
4. Rehabilitating sustainable farming systems to ensure long-term food production. This includes rehabilitating Syria’s national seed production system – from plant breeding to seed multiplication and distribution​ – to ensure farmers have access to high-quality seeds. Promoting climate-smart agriculture and sustainable natural resource management to address challenges like water scarcity and land degradation​. In addition, FAO and partners will clear farming land of landmines and unexploded ordnance, making fields safe again for cultivation​.