FAO supporting struggling poultry farmers in Syria
Findings from the FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission conducted in May/June 2013 indicate that poultry production in Syria is estimated to have dropped by more than 50% compared with 2011.
According to the Directorate of Animal Production of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform (MAAR) and the Union of Syrian Agriculture Chambers, less than 35% of the country’s poultry units were still operating by May 2013. Furthermore, the quality of the Syrian diet and micro-nutrient intake was assessed as likely reduced. Many households were observed to be cutting back substantially on the consumption of fruits, meat, dairy products and eggs.
The support to backyard poultry production is therefore a key priority for FAO in Syria to enhance household resilience. Thanks to funding from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the Central Emergency Response Fund of the United Nations (CERF), FAO in Syria is assisting 3,000 vulnerable households in Rural Damascus and 1,600 in Homs to restart or sustain their backyard poultry production. This assistance is enabling families to produce eggs for home consumption and enhance their protein intake, while surplus production can be sold in the local market or bartered.
Three years after the start of the crisis in Syria, people are finding it more and more difficult to meet their basic needs. Backyard poultry is an excellent way to enhance the availability of and access to micronutrients and protein-rich foods. Furthermore, it is an ideal activity for women as livestock- and poultry-keeping are done traditionally by female members of the household.
Following the successful completion of the distributions in Homs towards the end of 2013 and the delivery of assistance to 1 600 vulnerable families, in April 2014, FAO started distributing in Rural Damascus. 901 families have been reached so far in Qatana District in Rural Damascus with 13 515 hens.
In the next two months, FAO will continue distributing poultry and poultry feed to beneficiaries in nine districts of Rural Damascus governorate (Qatana, Darayya, Az- Zabdani, Rural Damascus, Duma, Yabroud, An Nabk, Al Qutayfah and At Tal).
Source: FAO
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