Relief Web reports that without an intervention, more animals, which are a source of food and livelihood, will be lost, resulting in further food insecurity.
Nine years of crisis in the Syrian Arab Republic have left farmers and herders in rural areas facing difficulty producing food.
The Government of the Kingdom of Belgium has contributed US$450,000 to the Food and Agriculture Organization, through the Special Fund for Emergency and Rehabilitation Activities (SFERA). This is to to improve food security and nutrition for 17,200 cattle breeders affected by the crisis and by the outbreak of lumpy skin disease.
Thanks to Belgium’s support, FAO will conduct a large-scale vaccination campaign against the disease, providing 500,000 vaccine doses. FAO will also support 600 small-scale herders with 300 tonnes of animal feed.
The crisis has caused the loss of 30 to 40 percent of livestock in the Syrian Arab Republic. Restriction measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus have made the situation worse.
The United Nations estimates that 7.9 million people in the Syrian Arab Republic are food insecure and an additional 1.9 million people are at risk of food insecurity. Roughly 50 percent of the people in need are in rural areas.
