As the population increased, the food supply around the world is decreasing because of wars, droughts, etc. Robert Malthus was right. Pretty soon it will be difficult to feed everyone.
Syrian farmers work in a wheat field in Maarshamsha in the Idlib countryside, May 31, 2015. (photo by REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi)
Syria's withering agricultural sector
Syria's location in the Mediterranean basin and the country's territorial diversity — shores, mountains, plains and rivers with dams — has long made agriculture a pillar of its economy. The country's products are as diverse as its environmental and geographical areas: wheat, barley, legumes, olives, grapes, cherries and citrus fruits.
Summary⎙ Print Five years into the raging revolution, Syria's once-flourishing agricultural system is threatened with complete collapse.
Author Asaad HannaPosted April 11, 2016
TranslatorSteffi Chakti
But now, five years into the country's civil war, the agricultural sector in Syria is threatened with complete collapse. This led the Global Seed Vault to open its doors because officials fear some of Syria's agricultural products could go extinct.
Semaan al-Kheir, a farmer from the countryside of Homs, told Al-Monitor by telephone, "We previously relied on rainfall to irrigate winter crops and on the irrigation water provided by the Ministry of Agriculture during the three months of summer, which proved enough for summer crops, leaving the soil well irrigated with the needed organic components. Today, five years into the war, we are only relying on rainfall, bringing summer agriculture to a halt. The production decreased due to soil exhaustion and lack of condensed chemical fertilizers. We are now using the available natural fertilizer [manure]."
During the past 15 years, agriculture research centers in Syria opened in new provinces: the Agricultural Research Center in Hama for seed development; the General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research, which is affiliated with the Syrian government and is operational in various provinces; and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in southern Aleppo province.
Read more:
Syria's withering agricultural sector - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East
Syrian farmers work in a wheat field in Maarshamsha in the Idlib countryside, May 31, 2015. (photo by REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi)
Syria's withering agricultural sector
Syria's location in the Mediterranean basin and the country's territorial diversity — shores, mountains, plains and rivers with dams — has long made agriculture a pillar of its economy. The country's products are as diverse as its environmental and geographical areas: wheat, barley, legumes, olives, grapes, cherries and citrus fruits.
Summary⎙ Print Five years into the raging revolution, Syria's once-flourishing agricultural system is threatened with complete collapse.
Author Asaad HannaPosted April 11, 2016
TranslatorSteffi Chakti
But now, five years into the country's civil war, the agricultural sector in Syria is threatened with complete collapse. This led the Global Seed Vault to open its doors because officials fear some of Syria's agricultural products could go extinct.
Semaan al-Kheir, a farmer from the countryside of Homs, told Al-Monitor by telephone, "We previously relied on rainfall to irrigate winter crops and on the irrigation water provided by the Ministry of Agriculture during the three months of summer, which proved enough for summer crops, leaving the soil well irrigated with the needed organic components. Today, five years into the war, we are only relying on rainfall, bringing summer agriculture to a halt. The production decreased due to soil exhaustion and lack of condensed chemical fertilizers. We are now using the available natural fertilizer [manure]."
During the past 15 years, agriculture research centers in Syria opened in new provinces: the Agricultural Research Center in Hama for seed development; the General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research, which is affiliated with the Syrian government and is operational in various provinces; and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in southern Aleppo province.
Read more:
Syria's withering agricultural sector - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East
