‘Zero season’: Syrian farmers face worst drought in decades
Syria’s worst drought in decades has wiped out rain-fed crops and diminished yields across the country, devastating farmers and raising the risk of food shortages.
Syria’s worst drought in decades has wiped out rain-fed crops and diminished yields across the country, devastating farmers and raising the risk of food shortages.
Home to the wild ancestors of our most important crops, Syria once hosted one of the world’s biggest seed banks and grew several native varieties of wheat. But this collapsed during the war, and Syrians are now struggling to find good-quality seeds. How did the country lose its seed treasure, and with it, a wealth of genetic resources for humanity?
Beekeeping is an ancient tradition in Syria, where native bees used to produce world-famous honey. But decades of intensive farming, economic hardship and environmental degradation have shattered the delicate relationships that once united bees and humans.