In Syria, almost 14 years of conflict and the increasing impacts of climate change have ravaged the land, creating an increasingly difficult place for farmers to cultivate. It’s taken a particular toll on seeds.
Improving seed quality is a key part of the solution, and a pilot project to boost farmers’ access to high-quality, climate-resilient seeds could offer some hope — and the positive effects could reach far beyond farmers.
The United Nations estimated in April that at least half of the planted crops in the Al-Hasakah governorate — the main wheat-producing region in the country’s northeast once known as Syria’s breadbasket — could die as a result of recent droughts. And with the decline of a major water source, the Euphrates River, crop yields are further at risk. Food insecurity in Syria has been steadily rising, exacerbated by inflation and soaring food prices.