Within the five-year BLRS project, FAO will implement resilience-building interventions in five governorates (Aleppo, Deir-ez-Zor, Hama, Homs and Rural Damascus governorates) to improve medium to long-term food security for the targeted rural communities, giving priority to vulnerable women, youth and persons with disabilities (PwDs) who are in chronic need.

The interventions are a combination of inter-related and sequenced agricultural livelihoods activities, to: 1) enhance access to irrigation water to improve the diversity of food production and boost productivity and income generation prospects (2) provision of quality and critical agricultural inputs, combined with tailored training on effective, efficient and climate-resilient agronomic techniques through Farmer Field School (FFS) approach (3) support farmers to sustain the availability and ownership of agricultural input through the production of a variety of vegetable seedlings (4) support the resilience of livestock production systems by involving farmers to produce improved local fodder, and conducting animal health care campaigns, increasing milk productivity and supporting milk collection units.

The project will also include market-driven agricultural entrepreneurship interventions, to: 1) introduce rural communities to business and marketing management skills, which can be reached either through mobile agri-business clinics and business development services centres (BDS) (2) support value addition and food processing through the provision of vouchers to purchase food processing equipment, and also support with start-up grants (3) assist farmers to cope with the effects of climate change by strengthening the collection of data on agro-climatic trends, and disseminate this through farmer-friendly modalities. The FAO BLRS project also focuses on the gender mainstreaming component to address gender inequality and promote women's economic empowerment (WEE).

Donor: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office -UK AID

Financial Resources: 11 million GBP

This project will increase the resilience of water-dependent livelihoods and security of income through reduced water demand and introduction of climate smart agriculture practices to vulnerable groups.

Resource Partner: UNHABITAT - The Adaptation Fund

Budget: USD 2,332,000

The promotion of the capacity of local authorities, civil society, communities and institutional technical service providers for responsiveness to highest priority needs. The objective is to enable them to collectively develop, implement and monitor evidence- based policies, strategies, plans and resilience programmes.

The delivery of basic essential services to the population at national and local levels, with particular emphasis on displaced people and host communities and people facing deprivation and different forms of vulnerability.

Resource Partner: UNDP (EU) 

Budget: USD 655,562

General objective

Support the resilience of vulnerable groups in targeted communities of south-eastern Deir ez-Zour through the provision of social and economic services while fostering social cohesion and food security.

Specific objectives

1. To support rural livelihoods and local value chains with tailored productive and capacity development activities targeting primarily vulnerable groups;

2. To provide availability of and accessibility to social services, including comprehensive gender and age-sensitive RH and GBV, prevention initiatives and social protection/inclusion to targeted communities with UNFPA.

Resource Partner: UNDP (Italy)

Budget: USD 1,104,924

Technical support for strengthening agricultural productivity and farmers livelihoods and stability in eight villages in Deir Ez-zor at Abukamal in the lower Euphrates River valley, involving design engineering, site supervision and the creation and support to local water user associations (scheduling, training, operation and maintenance, etc).

Resource Partner: UNDP

Budget: USD 290,000

Improve local food production for 22 000 livestock keeping households affected by the crisis and drought-like conditions in 2021-22.

Resource Partner: OCHA

Budget: 2,999,999 USD

The research aims at understanding the water situation at the national level, analyzing challenges, and making recommendations in terms of water and climate monitoring systems to enhance sustainable use of water resources.

Fund: 550 000 USD

Resource Partner: The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

The proposed livestock vaccination campaign will protect livestock assets and livelihoods of smallholder dairy farmers and sheepherders and combat human malnutrition by ensuring sufficient availability of milk and dairy products in North-West Syria. In particular the project seeks to rectify the dangerous insufficient vaccination coverage of dairy animals in NW Syria against major epidemic infections, focusing on Foot-and Mouth Disease (FMD), Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) and Sheep Pox/Capripox.

Resource Partner: OCHA

Budget: USD 674,551

Increase the resilience of affected communities by improving access to livelihoods opportunities and basic services, especially amongst the most vulnerable households and communities.

Resource Partner: UNDP (Japan)

Budget: USD 1,500,000

The project aims to formulate a plan (Cooperation Programme) through wide consultation with all partners, and with support from relevant teams in RNE and HQ on Hand in Hand.

Budget: USD 100,000

Rebuild the capacity of the vocational education school in Salamieh – Hama Governorate.

Budget: USD 274,000

Support the Ministry by conducting three studies to understand the impact of Syrian crises on the country’s environment and natural resources.

Budget: USD 70,000

Strengthened the capacity of extension services to promote market-orientation and support small-scale farmers to increase their production and income through improved technical advice and facilitation of linkages to foster innovation in the agriculture sector.

Budget: 300 000 USD

To improved the capacity of the extension service to promote market-orientation and increased productivity and profitability of small scale farmers through improved technical and business advice and facilitation of linkages to foster innovation in the agriculture sector in Syria.

Budget: USD 300,000

The project contributes to rural development and transformation for sustainable agri-food systems in Syria.

Budget: 100 000 USD

The project contributes to the overall improvement of food and nutrition security in Syria through strengthening early warning systems and improve response to climate shocks.

Budget: 300 000 USD

Extension is primarily a public service, with a main focus on supporting small-scale farmers to increase production and productivity primarily through introducing modern technologies, good practices, research results, etc. at farm level by using several tools/approaches, including demonstration fields, distribution and producing of publications (guidelines, calendars, crop management guidance, etc.), media such as TV and Radio, etc. 

FAO in the Syrian Arab Republic will collaborate with Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform to strengthen the capacity of extension services to modernize this advisory system in the country and transform its role beyond the traditional  dissemination of technical advice on production, to facilitating market-orientation to increase farmers’ profitability and income. 

To conduct an assessment of the Ministry’s statistical system to identify the main challenges and constraints and propose recommendations for improvement.

Budget: USD 154,000