This operation has been extended in time until 31 December 2009 as per Budget revision 002 (see below).
In the winter of 2007/8 the rural population of Syria was hit by two concurrent major shocks: the worst drought in four decades and a dramatic price increase of basic food commodities over a short period of time. The drought had a serious effect on crop and livestock production, natural vegetation and consequently the livelihoods of herders and farmers in the rural areas. Total rainfall during October 2007 - May 2008 was much below average: the majority of the weather stations have recorded 25-85 percent less rain than the average cumulative precipitation. At the same time the population has to cope with soaring food and fuel prices: the price of rice has risen by as much as 143 percent and the price of diesel by 350 percent since January 2008.
On 22 June 2008, the State Planning Commission and the General Commission of the Badia requested assistance from WFP to the herders of the Badia. On 28 July, the Prime Minister called for urgent support from the United Nations agencies to the drought affected population in its letter to the United Nations Resident Coordinator. In August 2008, upon the request of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, a rapid joint assessment was conducted by the Food and Agriculture organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Ministry of Agriculture. The assessment revealed that the lack of water and irregular rains in previous months were severely threatening the food security of farmers and herders in the affected zones in the Badia region.
In response to the shocks, food consumption of the most vulnerable groups has decreased and the range of foods consumed is significantly narrower than in the same season in previous years. Coping strategies include high-damage responses such as the excessive sale of livestock, borrowing money, further reduction in food consumption and distress migration. The rate of school drop-outs is predicted to increase this year.
The impact is especially severe on the livelihood of herders: the mortality rate for animals has tripled and herders had to sell more than half of their livestock at depressed market prices to ensure fodder and survival for the rest. As herders have no other income sources in the Badia, the preservation of their livestock is crucial for their future access to food. As a result, the majority of small-herders in the rangelands struggling to preserve their livelihoods will have to adopt damaging coping strategies. While food in the drought-affected areas is available, the high price of cereals and other main food items, the decrease in government subsidies of food items and gasoline3, as well as increased water expenses limit the herders’ access to food.
The Government of Syria is actively involved in addressing the needs of the drought-affected populations. It will provide a limited number of loans in the form of subsidized feed, free veterinary medicines and vaccines and will reschedule payments of previous loans to relieve the effect of drought and increased prices of commodities. It has also distributed a modest amount of food assistance to the most vulnerable families. However, the combination of high food prices and the current drought emergency has overstretched government response capacities, leading the Government to request WFP to provide assistance to drought-affected victims.
In line with WFP’s Strategic Objective one (saving lives and protect livelihoods in emergencies), this EMOP will provide food assistance to 40,000 herders and their families through targeted food assistance. This will contribute to Millennium Development Goal 1 (eradicate extreme poverty and hunger). Small herders will be the primary beneficiaries of this operation. Since they rarely rely on nontraditional sources of income, the survival of their livestock is the sole basis of their livelihood. Riskmitigation strategies that minimize the need for negative coping strategies, are essential to prevent an irreversible livelihood loss. While conditions are expected to improve in January 2009 with the winter rains providing new grazing areas for the animals, the drought-affected households will require at least two more months to recover and stabilize their livelihoods. As the drought has not significantly affected local markets and infrastructure, a voucher system will be piloted in the first distribution round. Should the voucher pilot prove feasible, this will be expanded through a budget revision to cover all the operation.
The 10th five-year Development Plan of the Syrian Government focuses in particular on the development of the disadvantaged Badia region. In addition to providing better coverage of basic infrastructure, it aims to enhance the resilience of the population to drought and other shocks. This is reflected in the 2007-2011 United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for Syria. In the context of the present emergency, interventions are needed to prevent a long-term negative impact on the development of the region. Food assistance will be combined with assistance to the agricultural sector by FAO and the Government in order to re-establish livelihoods.
