Syria Faces Gravest Dry Spell in Generations, Driving Countless People To the Edge

Outside the countryside by Hama, crop lands ought to be golden and productive with crops.

Instead, Maher Haddad's fields remains unproductive, yielding only a portion of its usual yield.

"This year has been devastating as a result of the drought," explained the 46-year-old cultivator.

The acres produced just 190kg per unit—well under the typical amount seen in a good season.

"{We lost what we invested; we've suffered financially. There's no way to afford next season's crops," he added.

Having two teenage children to provide for, now he's borrowing money from family to get by.

National Crisis

This hardship is echoed around the country, where the worst drought in over three decades has slashed wheat harvests by 40%.

An projected gap of millions of tonnes is expected this year—representing the yearly dietary needs of more than 16.25 million people.

Rising Need

Without increased food aid or the means to purchase supplies, the crisis may worsen severely.

More than 14,000,000 residents—nearly the majority of the public—presently struggle to get sufficient food.

Among them, 9.1 million experience serious malnutrition, with a significant number in critical situations.

Precipitation has dropped by about 70%, devastating three-quarters of non-irrigated farmland.

"This means the difference between households remaining in their homes or having to leave," noted an representative.

Household Struggles

Farming households are offloading animals to supplement lost earnings, limiting their daily diet.

Malnutrition levels among children and pregnant women are rising.

Wheat is a essential food in Syria, essential for bread and traditional dishes—affordable foods that are now increasing in cost.

In the case of a widow aged thirty-nine, purchasing bread has become increasingly challenging.

Having several children, she depends on her sons' income, which are not essential costs.

"Occasionally we need to get funds simply to purchase food," she said.

Earlier, a package of bread cost 500 Syrian pounds, but now it is four thousand five hundred.

For her dependents, she needs multiple bags a day—an expense of nine thousand currency units, before other necessities.

National and Foreign Actions

This crisis presents a serious challenge for the leadership, which is working to rebuild the country after over a decade of unrest.

Aid groups are supplying food support for those most vulnerable, but experts warn that these are stopgap solutions.

"Efforts are underway to keep farmers in the agricultural industry," said a program director.

Financial support have been given to agricultural families who experienced all of their crops.

Yet, after over a decade of conflict, Syria's agrarian system was already weakened by economic collapse, broken irrigation systems, and unusable fields.

Resource Shortage

Within key agricultural zones, crop fields must have multiple watering sessions per growing period, but as a result of shortage of precipitation, many farmers find it impossible to keep up.

"The farmer's main worry is finding resources," said a regional agriculture director.

Water depends on diesel, and fuel prices have skyrocketed dramatically, hitting 11,000 to twelve thousand pounds per gallon.

Soaring fuel costs and regular outages have rendered equipment unaffordable for many agriculturalists.

Sustainable Solutions

A goal for the administration is investing in irrigation systems—such as solar-powered drip systems—to provide resources more available.

However these initiatives require time and money—advantages that wheat farmers do not have currently.

Therefore, for many Syrians across the land, there is simply one thing to count on in the upcoming season: wait for rain.