Syrian farmers forced to abandon their land for steadier jobs

After years of war, drought, and economic crisis, farmers in northeast Syria are abandoning agriculture due to rising costs and climate change, seeking more stable jobs to support their families.

After years of war, drought and economic crisis, Omar Abdel-Fattah was forced to rent out his farmland in northeast Syria, preferring a more stable job to provide for his family.

“It breaks my heart to see someone else working my land,” said Abdel-Fattah, 50, who grew wheat, cotton, and vegetables in Jaabar al-Saghir, in Syria’s Raqa province, for three decades.

He said he had to abandon agriculture to make ends meet and provide an education for his eight children because he can “no longer keep up with the costs of farming”, including irrigation.

Agriculture was once a pillar of northeast Syria’s economy. The region was the country’s breadbasket before 2011, when the government repressed peaceful protests, triggering a conflict that has killed more than 5,00,000 people and displaced millions.

Now the effects of climate change — particularly rising temperatures and drought — along with spiralling costs are dealing a heavy blow to agricultural production and the families that depend on it.

Mr. Abdel-Fattah found a job at a water pumping station run by the area’s semi-autonomous Kurdish administration. It pays around $70 a month, so he also runs a small shop on the side selling hardware and other items to get by.

Some of his relatives have also rented out their land, while others have left Syria because of the dire financial situation there, Mr. Abdel-Fattah said.