Syria faces worst drought in 36 years, 16 million at risk of hunger

Syria is grappling with its worst drought in decades which has pushed nearly 16.25 million people at risk of food shortage.

The war-torn country, where 90% of the population already lives below the poverty line, is facing the worst drought in 36 years that has slashed the country’s annual wheat harvest by 40%.

46-year-old farmer Mehar Haddad has revealed that the fields delivered 190kg wheat per acre as compared to 400kg-500kg during a normal year.

He said, “I can’t finance next year because I have not been able to recover what I spent on agriculture.”

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has also issued a chilling warning, predicting that Syria will face a 2.73m tonnes of wheat shortfall this year, putting 16.25 million people at risk of food shortage.

FAO report further detailed that rainfall in the country dropped by 70%, leading to water-shortage resulting in the crippling of 75% of Syrian farmland.

The shortage has also led to a surge in bread prices as in 2024, a bag of bread was being sold in Sanna for 500 Syrian pounds but now the price has surged to 4500 Syrian pounds.

The new crisis appears to be another challenge for the government led by interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa as they try to rebuild the country in the aftermath of 14-year conflict and the ouster of Bashar Al-Assad.

International organizations such as the UN World Food Program are working with the government to provide food for people. But FAO’s senior program officer for Syria has warned that without aid or the ability of the country to import wheat, the crisis is expected to worsen dramatically.