FAO/Mazen Haffar

From displacement caused by the armed conflict to another caused by an earthquake: “It seems we will never settle in our home.” Baraa Al Ali, a 44-year-old woman resident in Al Ghab – Hama governorate, displaced with her six children in a shelter along with other 40 rural families from the area. The family has been evacuated by the local committees after evaluating her house as unsafe for living in because of deep cracks caused by the quake.

Baraa’s life was already hard. Her husband passed away during the conflict four years ago. Her children depended on her four sheep for children with milk and cheese; unfortunately, in the earthquake the shed sheltering the sheep collapsed.  With tears for the unknown, Baraa’s only hope is to be able to keep her children safe: “I would not ask for more than having a secure life. We have experienced nothing but displacement and uncertainty for several years, but at least then I knew I would eventually return to my house to herd my sheep and feed my children. Now that I lost everything, I am only blessed to have my children alive, but I do not know how I will provide them food.”

The Syria earthquake has caused the death of more than 6 000 people in the Syrian governorates of Hama, Aleppo, Idleb and Lattakia. In Hama, Al Ghab district, all resident families rely on agriculture for livelihoods. The area witnessed severe armed conflict for years, which forced families either to move away or risk their lives. Although some parts of the Al Ghab experienced returns and re-settlement in the last two years, the farmers suffered floods, unfamiliar weather conditions, limited access to inputs and fertilizers, difficult access to markets, and soaring prices.

The earthquake affected most of the farmers: the death of their animals, cows aborted calves, the production of milk reduced as the animals were traumatized.  Many were forced to abandon agricultural activities, their only source of income, and concentrate on addressing their damaged homes and providing emergency assistance for friends and relatives.

By leaving their homes, and eventually their land, the farmers will inevitably become more food insecure and in need of humanitarian assistance. There is an urgent need for an agriculture-oriented integrated support programme.   

Under the United Nations Syrian Arab Republic Flash Appeal, FAO requires $10 million to reach 300 000 rural people in need over the next three months alone with cash, livestock assistance and agricultural support, in the first instance to secure this summer’s crop.