Attachments
Context & Rationale
Syria remains one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises, significantly affecting the production and supply of its staple food, bread. The combined and ongoing effects of the crisis have impacted wheat production, milling, and bread availability, posing a serious threat to food security and the overall well-being of the population. In addition to reduced wheat production, vital food security infrastructure—including bakeries, mills, and silos—has suffered extensive damage since the conflict began, and wheat-to-bread facilities have increasingly been deliberately targeted by airstrikes in Northeast Syria (NES) since October 2023. Furthermore, supply chain disruptions, high levels of inflation and rising costs, and shortages have all presented acute challenges for wheat-to-bread market actors in securing adequate quantities of key inputs. Due to these combined factors, humanitarian actors have been supporting the wheat-to-bread supply chain through the rehabilitation of infrastructure and provision of key inputs to ensure bread is available in communities throughout NES.
This Situation Overview builds on previous studies carried out by iMMAP and was co-designed with the NES Food Security and Livelihoods Working Group. It primarily aims to assess the number, operational status, and production levels of key wheat-to-bread facilities (i.e. bakeries, mills, and silos), as well as identify key challenges they are facing. The findings of this report and the corresponding datasets are intended to inform prioritization and planning decision-making by humanitarian actors active in bread and bakery support programming in Northeast Syria.