Agriculture Has always been a key part of Syrian economy. Even after a decade of war the sector still accounts for an estimated 26% of gross domestic product and represents a critical safety net for the 6.7 million Syrians – including those internally displaced - who still remain in rural areas. However, agriculture and the livelihoods that depend on it have suffered massive losses. 

The desertion of land, the lack of water supply and the desertification, which became the first threat to the eastern countryside and began to penetrate west, with the great neglect that the rural areas are witnessing have all been factors that resulted in steep decrease in both food production and livestock causing even more shortage in food and making million food-insufficient. 

The fires that frequently broke out in the eastern regions of the country, the source of Syria’s strategic crops such as wheat and barley, and the massive fires in the western forest strip the source of fruit trees and various crops have eliminated the potential of the agricultural field to support the economy, especially that in light of the financial crisis, the local farmers community face massive obstacle when it comes to securing their seeds and compost and the very basicswithout any public sector offering support. 

To address these acute needs, Hope center in partnership with several donors represented by l’Oeuvre d’Orient Launched a pilot project to provide funding for Micro-Agriculture projects in three villages in rural Homs; Al-Hamra, Maskaneh and Aljabriya.

The project has started in August 2021 and is committed to provide the equipment, glasshouses, irrigation supplies and even seedlings and compost. The executive team consults with an agronomist to ensure the quality of the implementation.

This pilot project has opened our eyes on further problems the extreme needs in livestock, the lack of skilled labor and the problem of securing groundwater in the absence of electrical energy sources. 

This experience was crucial to determine the future of the region and upon its success will the orientation of the upcoming projects depend.