Implications of the changes in agro-food and fuel prices on rural livelihoods and forests

More than 60 percent of Syria’s poor people live in rural areas and more than half of these depend on agriculture for their livelihood. The country’s forests, which include 23 natural protected areas rich in biodiversity, also represent a significant source of livelihoods for rural populations.  But these protected areas are feeling the strains of overuse and degradation from human activity such as overgrazing, overexploitation of wood, and expansion of agriculture.

In this context of natural resource dependence, it is conceivable that the post-2006 increase in the prices of agro-food products has had a significant direct impact on rural livelihoods, (through their influence on farming costs and revenues; and indirect impact (by affecting other potential sources of revenues such as tourism, and sales of handicrafts to tourists).

But as yet, the impact of increased agro-food and fuel prices on farmers and on forest use is not clear. To the extent that a change in agricultural activities compete with forests, pressure on forests may have risen (eg. increased overgrazing).

In order to guide the World Bank and development partner’s support to Syria’s natural resource management, PROFOR is supporting an activity which will examine the implications of recent changes in international and local agro-food and fuel prices on farmers’ welfare (and rural livelihoods more broadly) and on their use of forests.