Name: Syria drought worsens: Farmers struggle as crops fail and dams run dry
Uploaded: 2025-12-01T00:19:05.905Z
Duration: 2 min 55 s
Description: Syria is enduring one of its worst droughts in decades, with severely low rainfall and rising temperatures. This has caused wheat harvests to drop by 40% and pushed fodder prices up, forcing herders to sell livestock at a loss.

Syria is enduring one of its worst droughts in decades, with severely low rainfall and rising temperatures. This has caused wheat harvests to drop by 40% and pushed fodder prices up, forcing herders to sell livestock at a loss.

Homs‎

Syria is experiencing a worsening drought that has significantly impacted farmers and shepherds, particularly in regions such as Homs, Damascus, and Idlib. The lack of rainfall since 2020 has led to soaring fodder costs, reduced livestock numbers, and a sharp decline in wheat and olive harvests. 

Reservoirs and dams are at historic lows, with some operating at just 12 percent of capacity. Farmers are borrowing money to survive, and water experts are working on long-term solutions, including diverting water from other regions. However, immediate relief remains elusive as both financial resources and rainfall are in short supply.

Syria drought worsens: Farmers struggle as crops fail and dams run dry

Each sheep in this flock needs $2 of fodder every day, but Syria's deepening drought has pushed costs up and profits down. Shepherds now make barely $100 per animal, nearly half of what they once earned. Ammar's been herding on the hills of Homs for over a decade, but he's never seen them this dry. His flock has collapsed from 200 to just 70 sheep. Buyers still exist, but payments are slow. Greenery was everywhere 10 years ago. Now fodder is so expensive. I'm selling sheep just to feed the others. It's like the sheep are eating each other. Since 2020, unreasonably low rainfall has dripped the eastern Mediterranean region. Syria now ranks seventh out of 191 countries most at risk of humanitarian or natural disaster. Rising temperatures and shrinking water supplies mean the drought will only intensify. These used to be green bushes, which are nothing but thorns that this cattle is forced to eat. And it's not just the bushes here. Shepherds are telling us that this entire grazing pasture used to be lush green. And because of a lack of rain, it has all dried up. Wheat harvests have dropped by 40 percent, pushing the country closer to a food crisis. Farmers and shepherds are borrowing just to survive. In Damascus, there's only been 29 percent of average rainfall last year. As a result, surface and underground reservoirs are severely depleted. Dams are currently operating at only 12 percent of their total capacity. The Rastan Dam is at its lowest level in decades. The rivers that once fed it, including the Orontes, barely flow. I used to catch about 10 fish, 5 kilos. Now I can't catch even one fish. Fish are dying because of the lack of water. The Orontes River is now empty of fish. In Idlib, all agriculture is suffering. Olive harvests, once serious pride, have dropped sharply. Khaled returned to his village after years of displacement, hoping to rebuild. We're starting from scratch. Agriculture is our only income. Since liberation a year ago, all we've heard are empty promises from the government and NGOs. Across Hama, parched fields stretch for kilometers. Water experts are trying to increase dam storage and repair irrigation networks. Their long-term plan includes diverting water from the Euphrates and coastal regions toward central and southern Syria. That will refill aquifers and restore drinking and irrigation supplies. But in Homs, where Ammar's sheep search for what little is left, the reality is stark. Syria needs money and rain. Right now, it has neither. As-salamu alaykum, Al Jazeera, Homs, central Syria.

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