Read at : IRIN
SYRIA: Drought response faces funding shortfall
DAMASCUS, 24 November 2009 (IRIN) – With a few weeks left before the end of this year’s planting season, UN officials have raised concerns over the lack of funds to help drought-hit farmers and herders in northeastern Syria.
“The situation is worrying. We have six weeks left before we miss this planting season,” said Abdulla Bin Yehia, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) representative in Syria. “We need money to buy the seeds for the farmers and animal feed to prevent herders from selling off their remaining livestock.”
The northeast and the Badia region of Syria were hit by the worst drought in 40 years as rain failed for three consecutive years. The drought caused devastating losses for about 1.3 million people, of whom more than 800,000 were severely affected, according to the UN and the Syrian government.
The Syria Drought Response Plan 2009, which was launched by the UN in August, seeks about US$52.9 million, with food assistance and provision of agriculture inputs key.
“Although the drought response plan was launched in August, FAO has received $700,000 from the Spanish government besides the $1.4 million from the CERF [the Central Emergency Response Fund],” Bin Yehia told IRIN.
The World Food Programme (WFP) shares similar concerns. “WFP has received $2.2 million only out of $22 million needed. This amount is barely sufficient to start the first distribution in December which should cover at least two months of entitlements [December and January],” Silvana Giuffrida, WFP deputy country director, told IRIN.
The Financial Tracking Service (FTS) of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) shows that only 7.6 percent of the plan was funded.
Livestock
“About 90 percent of agriculture in the affected areas depends on rainfall. Poor rains have caused all crops to fail and prevented any vegetative growth that can be used as animal feed. It also affected grazing pastures, which usually provide 60 percent of animal feed for the herders,” Bin Yehia said.
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