Enab Baladi – Ahmad al-Hamadi
Ali al-Anad, 50, stands at the edge of his land in the village of al-Hura in the southwestern countryside of Raqqa (northeastern Syria). Only a few years ago, the fields were green with wheat and barley crops. Today, they lie barren, with cracked, hardened soil and wide areas covered by a white layer of salt, while large portions have fallen out of agricultural use.
The farmer told Enab Baladi that his land once provided enough income to support his family, leaving a surplus for sale and supplying fodder for his livestock. In recent years, however, he has lost more than half of it due to drought, rising soil salinity, and declining irrigation water availability.
He added, with regret, that an area once known for its fertile lands has gradually begun to lose its ability to produce year after year.
A few years ago, agricultural lands in Raqqa governorate relied on a mix of irrigated and semi-irrigated farming. Their relative proximity to the Euphrates River and a network of secondary irrigation canals helped supply fields with water.
However, the declining efficiency of these networks, combined with falling water levels and growing reliance on groundwater wells, has significantly altered the agricultural landscape.
Hussein al-Rajab, an agricultural engineer in the southern countryside of Raqqa, said the first signs of deterioration appeared with declining wheat production. Summer vegetables, which are more sensitive to soil conditions, soon followed, forcing farmers to reduce the cultivated area while other lands turned into marginal plots that are difficult to utilize.
In remarks to Enab Baladi, the engineer said salinization has become one of the most dangerous manifestations of desertification in Raqqa’s countryside, particularly in areas farther from the Euphrates River.
He explained that the increasing use of low-quality well water, combined with weak agricultural drainage networks and high evaporation rates, has led to the accumulation of salts in the soil.
White patches are now visible across many agricultural lands located away from the river’s course, indicating salinity. This reduces plants’ ability to absorb water and nutrients, weakening productivity and lowering crop quality, according to the engineer.
Alongside salinization, drought has played a central role in accelerating desertification. The region has experienced weak and irregular rainy seasons, affecting rain-fed agriculture and reducing the renewal of soil moisture.
Farmers said dry periods have become longer than in the past, increasing evaporation rates and hardening the soil, especially in areas within the semi-arid belt south of Raqqa. This gradual climatic change has pushed many lands to the brink of degradation, particularly in the absence of effective soil conservation programs.
Impacts beyond agriculture
The repercussions have not been limited to agriculture. They have also extended to social and economic conditions.
With declining production, many families in al-Resafa have lost a key source of income. Some farmers have been forced to abandon their lands or search for alternative daily wage jobs.
Oday Shahin, 50, said his sons have left farming after the land lost its ability to provide even minimal economic stability.
He added that the family once relied almost entirely on the fields’ yield to cover annual expenses. Recent seasons, however, brought consecutive losses due to falling production and rising costs of irrigation and fertilizers, making farming an increasingly risky choice.
According to Shahin, his sons have turned to daily labor in the city in search of a more stable income despite the difficulty and low wages of such work.
He believes the continued deterioration of soil and rising production costs threaten to push more families out of agriculture, warning that losing farming as a main livelihood will drive more young people toward internal migration or unstable employment, negatively affecting the economic and social reality of Raqqa’s countryside.
Measures to curb desertification
Raqqa’s Director of Agriculture, Muhammad al-Khadli, said the directorate is implementing a package of technical measures to limit the worsening problem of salinity and desertification in agricultural lands.
Maintenance and operations teams have begun cleaning agricultural drainage canals to facilitate the discharge of irrigation water and prevent rising water levels in fields, which directly helps reduce salt accumulation in soil and preserve its fertility.
In remarks to Enab Baladi, al-Khadli also stressed the importance of adopting crop rotation as a key measure to maintain soil balance and improve productivity. Diversifying crops, he explained, helps reduce pressure on the land and limits its long-term degradation.
He noted that there are currently no officially designated areas classified as saline or desertified land. Nevertheless, the phenomenon is addressed continuously through cleaning drainage canals and improving drainage operations.
The director added that one of the current priorities is supporting farmers with reliable seeds and fertilizers, which directly improves production efficiency and reduces losses.
The directorate is also encouraging farmers to follow an agricultural plan based on crop diversity instead of focusing on only two main crops, such as wheat and corn.
According to al-Khadli, the plan promotes introducing crops that help regenerate soil and improve its structure, such as cotton and fava beans, due to their agricultural and economic benefits.
He also revealed that there are future plans to activate the role of the Agricultural Bank in the Raqqa governorate to provide integrated support for farmers. This support would include supplying fertilizers and seeds in addition to interest-free loans.
Agricultural banks have already begun offering these services in several other Syrian governorates. Activating them in Raqqa is expected to ease financial burdens on farmers and strengthen their ability to continue agricultural production.
Soil salinization exhausts farmland as Raqqa farmers lose fertile lands Enab Baladi.
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