Outside Seqalbia by central Syria, crop lands are expected to be golden and productive with crops.
Instead, a local farmer's fields sits barren, generating just a third of its typical output.
"The current season was disastrous as a result of the lack of rain," remarked the experienced farmer.
His fields yielded just 190kg per plot—far below the expected quantity achieved in a good period.
"{We haven't recovered what we invested; we've lost money. I can't finance next season's crops," he emphasized.
Having two growing family members to provide for, now he's borrowing assistance from kin to survive.
Countrywide Situation
This struggle is echoed across the country, where the most severe drought in many years has cut crop yields by 40%.
An estimated gap of millions of tonnes looms this year—enough to feed the annual dietary needs of over 16 million individuals.
Increasing Need
Without additional food aid or the means to bring in wheat, the situation may worsen severely.
Over 14 million people—around six in ten the public—already face difficulties to meet their nutritional needs.
Among them, millions experience serious hunger, with 1.3 million in critical states.
Water levels has dropped by almost 70%, devastating the majority of rain-fed crops.
"It represents the difference between households staying in their homes or being forced to move," commented an official.
Household Challenges
Farming communities are selling herds to compensate for diminished incomes, reducing their meals.
Malnutrition levels among minors and women are rising.
Wheat is a staple food in Syria, essential for loaves and traditional dishes—cheap necessities that are now becoming more expensive in price.
For Sanaa Mahamid who is thirty-nine, affording bread has become increasingly challenging.
Having several kids, she counts on her older sons' income, which are not basic needs.
"Sometimes we need to get money simply to buy food," she shared.
Earlier, a portion of bread was priced at five hundred money, but today it is 4,500.
To provide for her household, it takes multiple portions a day—a cost of nine thousand pounds, excluding other food.
Official and Foreign Response
The crisis poses a major problem for the leadership, which is striving to restore the nation after years of war.
Support groups are offering bread subsidies for those most vulnerable, but officials caution that these are short-term measures.
"The goal is to keep farmers in the farming sector," commented a representative.
Direct assistance have been distributed to agricultural families who suffered their entire crops.
However, after over a decade of strife, Syria's agrarian sector was already damaged by economic crisis, damaged irrigation systems, and contaminated fields.
Irrigation Shortage
Within vital farming regions, crop land require numerous watering sessions per season, but because of absence of precipitation, most growers cannot sustain.
"The farmer's first challenge is finding resources," explained a local official.
Irrigation depends on fuel, and expenses have increased sharply, reaching 11,000 to twelve thousand pounds per unit.
Soaring energy costs and ongoing power cuts have rendered irrigation systems out of reach for many farmers.
Long-Term Solutions
One priority for the authorities is developing irrigation projects—like solar-powered drip systems—to provide resources more affordable.
But these projects need time and money—options that wheat farmers cannot access at present.
Therefore, for countless Syrians across the nation, there is just one hope to do in the coming period: hope for rain.
