Syria is in the midst of its third year of drought. Some 90% of the barley has been lost due to crop failure, the wheat harvest is down by over 50% and ground water reserves are running low. In the face of such a crisis, Syria has had to resort to the international wheat market for the first time in 15 years, no longer self-sufficient or able to export from what was, since antiquity, one of the region’s bread baskets. This hydrological crisis could not have come at a worst time for Syria, which is attempting to implement widespread economic reforms and reduce subsidies while food, energy and living costs continue to spiral upwards. Furthermore, the international price of wheat has risen 83% over the past year, putting strain on Syria’s budget deficit and wheat reserves. Such hard realities could not be further from the rosy picture presented by the
