(MENAFN) Syria is enduring one of its most severe agricultural crises in decades, as a historic drought worsens the effects of years of conflict and economic collapse, leaving millions at risk of hunger, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned.

The 2024–25 season is the driest in nearly 40 years, devastating both rain-fed and irrigated farming. Cropland is withering, irrigation systems are failing, and herders are selling livestock as fodder becomes scarce and costly.

FAO senior officer Pirro-Tomaso Perri said over 75 percent of rain-fed farmland has been impacted, with rainfall deficits of up to 69 percent in key agricultural regions. Irrigated areas also face water shortages, power cuts, and damaged infrastructure.

“Poor public services, low-quality production inputs, and soaring prices have amplified the drought’s impact on crops and livestock,” Perri said, calling the combined effect on rain-fed and irrigated systems unprecedented.

This marks the third consecutive year of poor harvests, with wheat output for 2025 projected at 900,000–1.1 million tonnes—far below the national requirement of nearly 4 million tonnes, creating a shortfall of 2.73 million tonnes. The FAO warned that food availability and access for more than 16 million people could be severely affected.

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