Attachments
I. Executive Summary
After nearly 14 years of conflict, decades of isolation and weakened institutional capacities, the Syrian Arab Republic faces a severe humanitarian crisis. An estimated 16.7 million Syrians require humanitarian assistance, and extreme poverty affects at least one in three Syrians. Nearly 7.2 million people are internally displaced and 6.2 million are refugees. Hunger has reached unprecedented levels: 14.5 million people are food insecure, of whom 9.1 million acutely food insecure (including 1.3 million severely food insecure) and 5.4 million are at risk. Women, youth and displaced people are among the most affected. The February 2023 earthquake further exacerbated displacement and damaged productive assets.
Challenges and potential of the agriculture sector
The agriculture sector has suffered extensive damage, with vital assets such as irrigation destroyed or severely damaged. Many farmers fled due to safety concerns and lack of state subsidies, leading to a major rural exodus. Additionally, land contamination by mines restricts cultivation of essential crops and access to pasture. Farmers face severe constraints, including lack of technical support, deteriorating markets, input shortages and impacts of climate change such as intensified drought and desertification.
Despite these challenges, agriculture holds immense potential to drive recovery. It remains the primary income source for a significant portion of the population, including IDPs and returnees. With 45 percent of Syrians relying on agriculture for their livelihoods, restoring this sector is crucial for economic recovery, food security and social cohesion. A large-scale intervention is required to rebuild agricultural systems, stabilize rural communities and promote sustainable development.
FAO’s ERPA
FAO has supported Syrian farmers since 1978 and continued operations throughout the conflict. FAO’s technical expertise and approach are grounded in the humanitarian-development-peace nexus (HDP), integrating emergency relief with long-term recovery. This ensures immediate needs are met while laying the foundation for recovery, reconciliation, peace and social cohesion.
The plan has four interlinked outcomes:
1. Timely, quality evidence-based data and analysis are available.
In-depth analysis to bridge critical evidence gaps, inform policy and programming, and modernize agricultural strategies, including updating agroecological zoning data.
2. Food security and nutrition are rapidly improved.
Emergency agricultural interventions to rapidly restore food production, particularly wheat planting for 2025, livestock support, and cash and voucher assistance (CVA).
3. Resilience of smallholders is strengthened.
Income-generating programmes and land management to enhance social cohesion and empower women and youth, building on models proven to strengthen community-based livelihoods.
4. Foundations for the rehabilitation of inclusive, sustainable and resilient farming systems are established.
Sectoral strategies, rehabilitation of demined land, climate-smart agriculture; natural resource management and disaster risk reduction (DRR), including early warning (EW) and anticipatory action (AA).