22 February 2012
- Idlib and Homs share spike in death toll
- Homs humanitarian crisis worsens
- Russia turns down invitation to Friends of Syria meeting
- Anti-government demonstration in Gaza
| Going Hungry? |
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Syria prides itself on being food self-sufficient. However, with the crisis entering its eleventh month, and sanctions and inflation hitting hard, the country's food security is at stake. By Abdulhamid Qabbani
As a result, people with limited incomes are left insecure and with very few options. "There's no longer cheap, simple food. All [types of food] have become a burden to obtain," said a jobless 30-year-old man from Dera'a who preferred to remain anonymous. "Now I'm no longer choosing what kind of food to have, I just need to get full." Cities like Damascus remain relatively calm, but many people there are also feeling the pinch. Speculations abound as to the causes of this increasing scarcity. Although the Arab League insisted that its sanctions were designed to spare citizenry and target only the regime, they sparked fears of shortages and price spikes, especially on imported goods which merchants might try to monopolise, economists say. Even though fear has led many to stock up, some experts argue that Syria will not go hungry anytime soon. "The food security of Syria is high as it relies on domestic production of basic foods like cereals, legumes and meat," said Theib Oweis, a water specialist at the International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas in Aleppo. Oweis argued that food security may not be severely affected in the short or medium term. However, he warned that with increasing food prices, poorer people will be affected and will need assistance. Other observers say that on-going uprising is worsening food availability and prices. Lebanese daily Al-Hayat reported on December 4 that in restive areas like Homs, flour was being sold at 10 times of its pre-crisis price - if it was available at all. "Only one bakery is operating in Homs in the Baba Amr district," residents of the city told Syria Today. "Flour doesn't arrive to the rest of the bakeries, and vegetables have become as rare as gold." Farmers say the intense military operations taking place in the fertile north-eastern province of Deir ez-Zor and the southern province of Dera'a, dubbed "the Syrian food basket", have prevented the cultivation of some seasonal or semi-seasonal crops. Many farmers have fled the violence there, and those who stayed face difficulties in bringing in materials necessary for cultivation through ongoing military operations and checkpoints. "Tanks are driving over cultivated lands [in Dera'a]," the 30 year-old from Dera'a said. He added that his cousins who are farmers "are on the run now. They are wanted by the government for taking part in protests."
Structural flaws In its food security brief last March, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), a USAID-funded activity, warned that the Syrian population was vulnerable to rising food prices and a deterioration of food security conditions, based on per capita GDP. A month later, in its Food Price Watch report, the World Bank noted double-digit food price inflation in Syria, and that by January 2011, this inflation had almost doubled – to 13 percent – from its 7 percent rate a year before. One underlying cause of the growing food insecurity is a four-year drought, which started in 2006 and resulted in successive wheat crop failures. However, observers argue that flawed agricultural policies also had negative consequences."The [drought] situation was significantly worsened by several government policy changes in 2008 and 2009," explained Francesca de Châtel, a journalist specialising in water issues in the Middle East. In May 2008, the government lifted the subsidy on diesel fuel, which resulted in an overnight rise in the price of diesel from SYP 7 (USD 0.12) to SYP 25 (USD 0.46) per litre. This made both digging a well and pumping water prohibitively expensive for many farmers, and became the decisive factor that caused large numbers of them to abandon their lands and move south. By September 2010, as many as 600,000 people had migrated from drought-affected regions to urban centres, according to Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food. "Go to any restaurant [in Damascus] and you will find at least one or two farmers working as waiters," said Abu Firas al-Deiri, a 25-year-old farmer from Deir ez-Zor who left his land to study in Damascus. Large numbers of displaced and jobless farmers also seem to be fuelling protests. "Farmers have taken up arms now," a 21-year-old protestor from Deir ez-Zor said. "The neglected people have been the trigger of the revolution."
Growing thirst According to the minister, Syria uses around 88 percent of its total water resources for irrigation, with the rest going to drinking-water and industries. In 2007, according to official estimates, Syria's total available usable water resources were 15.6bn m3, and total average annual water withdrawal was 19.2bn m3. The resulting 3.59bn m3 deficit was compensated by using water from dam reservoirs and from tapping into groundwater reserves, according to water experts. Well-drilling without governmental permission is illegal, but was common practice among farmers until the rise in diesel prices made it unaffordable. "The state is absent as a supporter [for farmers] and as a monitor," Deiri said, adding that some people are not only digging illegal wells but also constructing buildings on fertile and cultivatable lands. However, Soumi said, "the government is providing all facilities - regardless of the town or region - in order to achieve food security." According to the minister, the government's measures include loans for farmers, the agricultural support fund, and the strategic crop purchasing programmes. As population and water usage have grown in tandem, de Châtel explained that per capita water availability has dropped to 882 m3 per year. This has not been compensated for in improved water-use practices. In terms of official water policy, de Châtel argues that the government continues to expand irrigated areas and to subsidise the cultivation of water-thirsty crops like cotton and wheat. "This is not sustainable in the long term," she stated. However, the government's view is that growing crops such as cotton provides good economic revenue for the country and creates job opportunities for roughly 500,000 workers. In addition, this crop has other uses, as oils and fodder can be extracted from it. "The question here is not about the crops but about water-use efficiency," Soumi said. He added that the ministry is working on a general water plan for the country, monitoring the demand for water in different regions and trying to find ways to fill the gaps between supply and demand in different governorates.
A long way to go On September 27, President Bashar al-Assad issued a legislative decree cancelling interest and fines on late loans offered to farmers for cultivation purposes. He also issued Law 22 to ensure that the Agricultural Cooperative Bank (ACB) provides farmers with all their requirements for agricultural production for the winter season of 2011/2012, regardless of the solvency or guarantees of the debtors, state news agency SANA reported. While the government continues pushing forward with support and subsidies for farmers, some complain that red tape and corruption put them off from applying for loans. "Loans are like painkillers, and too few [of them]," Deiri said. "The farmers feel humiliated by being sent back and forth. Also, to get the loan quickly, you need to bribe [an official]."
Given these obstacles, de Châtel argues that the government still has a long way to go in order to secure its citizens against going hungry. "Syria urgently needs to acknowledge the challenges it faces. The lack of transparency and absence of reliable data lead to a lack of accountability."
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22 February 2012
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