A. Swaid
Livestock Research Department, Directorate of Scientific Agricultural Research,
P.O. Box 113, Douma, Syrian Arab Republic
Syria covers an area of 185,000 km2, of which about 65% has less than 200 mm of rainfall annually. There are about 8.3 million hectares of steppe and pasture—45% of the total land area—3.5 million hectares of uncultivated land (rocks, sand and marshes) and 0.5 million hectares of forest. Of the 6.2 million hectares of arable land, 4.21 million hectares are cropped annually and 1.8 million hectares are in rotation with annual fallow. Agricultural production is mainly based in rainfed areas, where rainfall fluctuates widely from year to year. The production of industrial crops such as cotton, sugar-beet and tobacco is less affected by erratic rainfall as these crops are mainly produced under irrigation. About 50% of the value of crop production is derived from 0.6 million hectares of irrigated areas. Cotton is the major agricultural export and the second largest net earner of foreign exchange. Agriculture could make a greater contribution to the economy if it were more efficient in, for example, water use. The agricultural sector contributes 20% of value added to the economy, employs 30% of the labour force and contributes about two-thirds of non-oil exports. It provides raw materials for the food, tobacco, textile and leather industries, which employ half the industrial workforce.
The country is divided into five agricultural zones, based on annual rainfall, as shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Mean annual rainfall and land area in the agro-ecological zonesof Syria.
| Zone | Rainfall (mm) | Land area (w 103 ha) |
| 1 | <350 | 2701 |
| 2 | 250–350 | 2450 |
| 3 | >250 | 1330 |
| 4 | 200–250 | 1850 |
| 5 | <200 | 10187 |
Wheat, legumes, tobacco, sesame and unirrigated vegetables are grown in zone 1, which has more than 350 mm of rainfall, and wheat, barley and forage in zone 2, with between 250 and 350 mm. In zone 5, which has less than 200 mm annually, only irrigated crops are grown.
The most important irrigated crops are cotton, wheat, sugar-beet, citrus and other fruits, and vegetables. About 85% of irrigated wheat is planted to high-yielding varieties. The most important rainfed crops include wheat, barley, tobacco, legumes and tree crops, mainly olive and grape. The use of machinery and of chemical fertilisers and pesticides has expanded rapidly, with a tripling of fertiliser use during the last 10 years.
There are about 440,000 families engaged in crop production and another 40,000 engaged only in livestock production. Approximately 80% of farmers have farms of less than 10 ha, and average farm size ranges from 3 ha in high rainfall and irrigated areas to about 45 ha in areas of low rainfall.
There are about 11.4 million sheep, 1.0 million goats, 780,000 cattle, 7000 camels and 2500 buffaloes in Syria. The local, unproductive Akshi is the main breed of cattle; Shami comprise 10% of the population and imported high-yielding dairy breeds 20%. All the sheep are of the Awassi breed, and goats are mainly mountain, with a small proportion (6%) of Shami, or Damascus.
In arable areas with between 200 and 350 mm of winter rainfall, where barley is the main crop, the grain, straw and residues are used for feeding livestock. Adjacent to the barley zone are vast areas of rangelands, which are an important seasonal grazing resource for small ruminant flocks based in the barley zone, as well as for nomadic flocks. The movement of transhumant flocks was traditionally regulated by seasonal availability of grazing. Animals moved regularly between winter and spring grazing areas in the rangelands, and summer grazing on cereal and irrigated crop residues in the wetter zones. Nomadic flocks moved continuously within the rangelands in search of pasture and water.
Both systems have been transformed by recent developments. The rapid adoption of vehicles by flock owners in the rangelands has disrupted the traditional grazing cycle and intensified the exploitation of natural grazing. Animals can now be transported quickly over long distances to take advantage of fresh pasture, and water can be transported to the flocks so that they can stay longer in any given area. The quality and quantity of pasture is rapidly deteriorating as a result of early grazing and overgrazing. The possibility of transporting supplementary feed and the drilling of wells has encouraged some owners to keep their animals in the rangeland throughout the year and to increase the size of their flocks while obtaining as much free grazing as possible. The rangelands are now occupied for a long period each year by a larger number of animals than in the past.
The main objectives of government policy for livestock are to increase production, to achieve greater self-sufficiency and maintain low consumer prices, by:
Resources have been directed mainly towards cattle, sheep and poultry production, with investment in water points for livestock, improved support services such as veterinary care and extension services, and provision of additional credit for feedstuffs. Pricing and marketing policies have been established for livestock products and animal feeds.
In general, research priorities are determined by policies and programmes for national socio-economic development, the need to import certain foods and future agricultural requirements.
Plans are prepared for present and future research activities, based on the long-term agricultural strategy research plan, the five-year agricultural research plan and the annual agricultural research finance plan. They include research activities, and labour and financial resources.
There are a large number of directorates within the Ministry of Agriculture, of which the directorates of Agricultural Scientific Research, Extension, Steppe and Rangeland, Animal Production, and Veterinary and Vaccine Production have the greatest importance for livestock production.
The Directorate of Agricultural Scientific Research, near Damascus, is the main institution for agricultural research; it has departments for crops, horticulture, vegetables, plant protection, food technology, pesticides, socio-economics and animal production.
The Directorate of Animal Production (DAPR) has 46 technical staff working in 12 stations and research centres, representing different agro ecological zones, in the provinces of
- Karahta Research Station, for improving Shami goats
- Camel and Rangeland Research Centre
Koneitra
- Hama Sheep Research Centre
- Jedrin Sheep Research Station
Homima Shami Goat Research Station
DAPR also organises activities with farmers, such as on-farm trials, field days, field tours and participation in national and regional projects.
The major priorities of the DAPR research plan are to improve the productivity of local breeds and the quality and quantity of feed resources, to develop animal production systems in arid and semi-arid areas, and to develop mixed farming systems in zones 1, 2 and 3 (see Table 1).
The reasons for choosing these priorities are:
There are faculties of agriculture in the Universities of Damascus, Teshrin (Lattakia), Aleppo and Al-Baath (Hama), which also has a Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.
Some agricultural research is also carried out in the Department of Applied Agriculture of the National Atomic Agency and in the Remote Sensing Agency.
There are two regional and international centres in Syria, the Arab Centre for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD), near Damascus, and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), near Aleppo. There is also international co-operation in research networks for small ruminants, buffaloes and camels, and with the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Livestock research in Syria still lags behind plant production research because of insufficient support. The country is self-sufficient in crop products, but there is a gap of 25% to 30% between demand and supply of animal products. The development of livestock research and production could be improved by a clear definition of policy and priorities, which takes into account national needs and the technical and financial resources available. Research needs to be independent and to have stronger financial and technical support. Greater collaboration and exchange of information is necessary between those working in research and those teaching in veterinary and agricultural faculties, and with regional and international research institutions.
