  
Syria is facing a severe food crisis, as rising living costs mean an increasing number of households cannot meet their [basic needs](https://www.theamargi.com/posts/hts-consolidation-crushes-syrias-economic-recovery). The World Food Programme [assesses](https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/wfp-syria-country-brief-may-2026) that only 18% of the population are “food secure”, as high inflation and currency depreciation between January and March 2026 have hit families hard.

In a new [report](https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/syria-key-message-update-worsening-economic-constraints-drive-persistent-crisis-ipc-phase-3-outcomes-may-september-2026), the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) classifies the acute food insecurity situation in 9 of Syria’s 14 provinces as at “crisis” level. This covers Hasakah, Raqqa, Aleppo, Deir-ez-Zor, Idlib, Hama, Homs, Latakia and Tartous. Syria’s other five provinces are classified as ‘stressed’. FEWS NET, funded by USAID, was set up to provide early warning information and analysis of food insecurity and famine worldwide.

The report highlights that households are struggling with the impact of increased fuel prices, which has had knock-on effects on wider food systems. Fuel costs are up 17.33%, which has driven up prices across the board.

In the northeast of the country, while above-average rainfall last winter has provided some relief to farmers after years of drought, harvesting occurred relatively late and “worsening economic constraints continue to erode household purchasing power and food access,” stated FEWS NET.

“Everything has become more expensive. We cannot afford to electricity like before either – luckily, we have some solar panels we can use, but most families do not,” says Gulistan Shefa, whose family rely on their agricultural land near Derik for part of their income. Farming production costs are [heavily impacted](https://www.theamargi.com/posts/syrian-farmers-launch-wheat-boycott-declaring-government-bonus-cannot-save-2026-season) by the rise in fuel costs. Habib al-Abdullah, a farmer from Raqqa province, told *The Amargi,* “These expenses leave us without any profit at the end of the harvest season, and our main concern has shifted to simply paying off accumulated debts.”

Cuts to humanitarian assistance have most severely impacted food security in Syria’s northwest, which is home to over two million internally displaced people, as World Food Programme (WFP) aid has been [slashed by 50%](https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/wfp-syria-country-brief-may-2026). There are few options for these IDPs to secure their livelihoods, with access to formal employment limited. Swathes of agricultural land remains contaminated or littered with unexploded ordnance, while [recent flooding](https://www.theamargi.com/posts/flood-debate-controls-euphrates) damaged 800 hectares of crops and fruit trees in the province.

In Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor provinces, cultivation had been increasingly concentrated in riverbed areas in recent years, due to severe drought and receding river water levels. This meant they were particularly vulnerable to the unexpected flash flooding in late May, [triggered](https://www.theamargi.com/posts/flood-debate-controls-euphrates) by Turkey’s decision to open dam gates upstream.

In the country’s coastal regions, while agricultural output has benefitted from the heavy winter rains, a wider range of formal employment opportunities remain limited. At the same time, along Syria’s southern border with Israel, incursions by the IDF have blocked pasture access for civilians and disrupted agriculture, meaning many there cannot reap benefits from this year’s rains.

Access to food and income in Damascus and Aleppo – Syria’s key urban centres – is better compared to that in rural areas. Yet even there, household purchasing power has significantly decline. Public transport costs are up 15-20%, cooking gas cylinders 19%, and the Syrian pound continues to depreciate. The increase in [public sector salaries](https://www.theamargi.com/posts/hts-consolidation-crushes-syrias-economic-recovery) in 2026 has only marginally offset the effects of price hikes. “Real purchasing power gains are expected to remain limited in the context of sustained inflationary pressures,” FEWS NET has assessed.

“Urgent funding is needed to safeguard fragile gains and prevent further humanitarian, economic, and social deterioration,” the WFP warned. “Sustained investment in livelihoods, agriculture, markets, and social protection is critical to rebuilding dignity, reducing dependency, and supporting long-term stability.” Yet without at least $100 million in extra funding, the WFP predicts oncoming crises as the gap between needs and assistance available in Syria will continue to widen.

# [Eve Morris-Gray](https://www.theamargi.com/authors/75)

Eve Morris-Gray is a freelance writer whose work focuses on civil society movements and democracy.  
  
[https://www.theamargi.com/posts/food-shortage-crisis-syria](https://www.theamargi.com/posts/food-shortage-crisis-syria)

Food shortage crisis hits Syria