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Near Seqalbia by the city of Hama, crop lands ought to be ripe and full with crops.

However, Maher Haddad's land sits barren, producing just a fraction of its usual harvest.

"Recently has been catastrophic due to the drought," stated the 46-year-old cultivator.

His fields produced just 190kg per plot—far below the typical amount seen in a normal season.

"{We did not recoup what we invested; we've lost money. It's impossible to fund next year's crops," he emphasized.

With two teenage family members to feed, now he's borrowing funds from relatives to get by.

Countrywide Crisis

The hardship is echoed throughout the country, where the most severe drought in over three decades has reduced wheat harvests by a significant portion.

A estimated wheat shortfall of millions of tonnes is expected this year—enough to feed the annual dietary needs of more than 16.25 million individuals.

Rising Food Insecurity

Lacking additional food aid or the ability to purchase supplies, the condition may intensify significantly.

Approximately 14,000,000 Syrians—around 60% the people—currently find it hard to eat enough.

Out of these, over nine million face serious hunger, including a significant number in extreme states.

Precipitation has dropped by nearly 70%, devastating the majority of dependent farmland.

"It represents the difference between people remaining in their villages or having to migrate," stated an expert.

Household Struggles

Farming households are parting with livestock to make up for diminished revenue, reducing their daily diet.

Undernourishment cases among children and expectant mothers are growing.

Crops is a basic commodity in Syria, essential for bread and pasta—affordable items that are now becoming more expensive in cost.

For Sanaa Mahamid who is 39, buying food has become very challenging.

With six dependents, she counts on her children' wages, which fall short of basic expenses.

"Sometimes we resort to cash only to afford bread," she said.

Previously, a package of flatbread was priced at 500 local currency, but today it is 4,500.

For her household, it takes multiple bags a daily—a cost of nine thousand currency units, excluding other necessities.

National and International Efforts

This emergency poses a serious obstacle for the government, which is striving to restore the economy after a long period of unrest.

Support groups are offering food support for those at risk, but officials warn that these are short-term fixes.

"The goal is to keep agricultural workers in the agricultural sector," stated a representative.

Monetary payments have been distributed to local growers who lost all of their harvest.

Yet, after over a decade of war, Syria's agrarian sector was already weakened by economic crisis, destroyed water systems, and unusable fields.

Irrigation Crisis

In key agricultural areas, crop land need multiple watering cycles per growing period, but due to absence of rain, most farmers find it impossible to keep up.

"A agricultural worker's first challenge is finding resources," stated a local expert.

Irrigation depends on energy, and fuel prices have risen sharply, costing eleven thousand to 12,000 pounds per unit.

Expensive fuel prices and frequent outages have made water pumps unaffordable for most growers.

Future Options

A goal for the administration is investing in irrigation infrastructure—such as solar-powered watering systems—to make water more accessible.

Yet these initiatives require long-term investment and resources—advantages that growers do not have currently.

Thus, for millions citizens throughout the land, there is only one option to do in the upcoming season: wait for rainfall.