More than 11,000 livestock-keeping households across northeast Syria have received emergency animal feed through a humanitarian intervention funded by the Syria Humanitarian Fund (SHF) and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The initiative aims to help vulnerable families protect their livestock amid worsening drought conditions, rising feed costs, and persistent insecurity.

The assistance reached approximately 66,400 people in the governorates of Al-Hasakeh, Ar-Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor, where livestock remain a critical source of food, income, and household resilience. Under the program, FAO distributed 500 kilograms of supplementary animal feed to each beneficiary household, helping farmers and herders sustain their animals during a period of severe environmental and economic stress.

Livestock Remain Central to Household Survival

For many rural families in northeast Syria, sheep and other livestock provide milk, meat, and income that are essential for daily survival. Humanitarian agencies warn that the loss of livestock can quickly deepen food insecurity, forcing households to sell productive assets, incur debt, or reduce essential spending.

The challenges have been compounded by prolonged drought and extreme summer temperatures. In villages such as Gharah in Al-Hasakeh Governorate, temperatures exceeding 45°C have intensified pressure on already fragile agricultural and pastoral livelihoods. Combined with sharply rising feed prices, these conditions have made it increasingly difficult for livestock owners to maintain healthy herds, resulting in animal losses and reduced productivity.

Emergency Support Eases Pressure on Vulnerable Families

Beneficiaries say the feed distributions have helped reduce the difficult trade-offs many families face between sustaining their livestock and meeting other household needs.

In Burg El-Jebour village, Aminah Ismail, a mother who became the sole caregiver for her children after losing her husband and home, described the assistance as a critical lifeline. She recalled losing several sheep to hunger during the previous year and feared experiencing similar losses again. The feed support helped her preserve her remaining livestock without diverting scarce household resources away from her children’s essential needs.

While welcoming the assistance, Aminah and other livestock owners emphasized the continued need for veterinary medicines, vaccinations, and animal health services to protect livestock against future risks.

Investing in Resilience Through Livelihood Protection

Humanitarian organizations increasingly view the protection of productive assets as a key component of emergency response in protracted crises. Rather than focusing solely on immediate relief, interventions that preserve livestock, crops, and other livelihood assets can help families maintain food production and income generation during periods of crisis.

The FAO initiative, supported through OCHA-managed humanitarian funding, reflects this approach by helping families prevent avoidable livestock losses while strengthening their ability to withstand future shocks.

As climate-related pressures, economic hardship, and insecurity continue to affect rural communities across Syria, humanitarian actors stress that integrated support packages combining feed assistance, veterinary care, and livestock health services will be essential to sustaining household resilience and protecting food security in the months ahead.