Key Considerations: Supporting ‘Wheat-to-Bread’ Systems in Fragmented Syria

Abstract

Since the end of 2021, the food crisis in Syria has worsened. Humanitarian agencies working in Syria, as well as other experts, have warned the food crisis could rapidly lead to famine unless immediately addressed. This brief describes the social and political dimensions of food insecurity in Syria. It provides insights into how territorial fragmentation affects wheat-to-bread systems, outlines key threats to wheat production, and sets out key considerations for the humanitarian sector, researchers, and donors responding to the crisis. Sources for this brief include published papers, reports, media articles, and open-source datasets. It also draws on consultations with farmers and other experts that were conducted in November and December 2021. Consultations were held across the three main areas of control in Syria: North East Syria, North West Syria, and territories controlled by the government of Syria. This briefing was written by Fadi Adleh (independent researcher) and Diane Duclos (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) for the Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform (SSHAP). It was reviewed externally by Edward Thomas (Rift Valley Institute) and support for field assessments was provided by Ali Ahmad (agronomist). The briefing was edited by Victoria Haldane and Leslie Jones (Anthrologica) and internally reviewed by Santiago Ripoll, Melissa Parker, and Annie Wilkinson. The brief is the responsibility of SSHAP.