Syria: Heat, drought, aging facilities compound Syria's agricultural woes.

Shotlist Idlib Governorate, Syria - July 28, 2026 1. Aerial shots of farmland 2. Various of crop, dry soil, river 3. Farmer showing dead crop 4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ahmad Jamil Abbas, local farmer (starting with shot 3/partially overlaid with shots 5-8): "Our land is desertified. The harvest this year is not good, and the land is barren. As you can see, there is no water, not even drinking water. In the past, dams used to supply water to farmland, but now there is no water. The irrigation facilities have been destroyed and the land has become desert." SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE 5. Ahmad Jamil Abbas walking with his family 6. Cattle in field 7. Dry irrigation channel 8. Farmers riding motorbike SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE 9. Aerial shot of farmland 10. Farmer walking 11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nasir Hussein, local farmer: "In the past, water was delivered to our land to irrigate farmland through canals from Rastan Dam, Mahardah Dam and Al-Ashary canal. However, after the irrigation water was cut off, farmers in Al-Ghab area began to suffer from drought, and the land became desert. This used to be one of the best agricultural areas. Last year, I relied on wells for irrigating my land, but the cost was too high to recover." SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE 12. Dry irrigation channel 13. Farmland 14. Farmer checking land 15. Aerial shot of farmland 16. Farmer walking, checking land SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE 17. Various of farmer walking in field 18. Water truck running 19. Various of farmland, cattle Storyline Sweltering summer heat, dwindling rainfall and aging irrigation facilities have left vast farmlands parched across Syria, further straining agricultural production amid fuel and power shortages that have crippled timely crop watering. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations noted that the persistent drought has seriously affected agricultural production and food security in Syria. Northwest Syria's Idlib Governorate has seen vast stretches of land lose their former greenery. Irrigation canals are nearly dry, exposing cracked soil, while crops have turned yellow and withered from water shortages. Idlib Governorate was once one of Syria's key agricultural production areas, where rivers and multiple dams were used for irrigation, with wheat, cotton, sugar beets and olives among the main crops. In recent years, the constant war has damaged a large number of water infrastructure facilities, while extreme heat and reduced rainfall have further aggravated the agricultural crisis. "Our land is desertified. The harvest this year is not good, and the land is barren. As you can see, there is no water, not even drinking water. In the past, dams used to supply water to farmland, but now there is no water. The irrigation facilities have been destroyed and the land has become desert," said Ahmad Jamil Abbas, a local farmer. Al-Ghab Plain in Idlib was once one of Syria's key grain-producing areas, but today, farmers are struggling to sustain production. "In the past, water was delivered to our land to irrigate farmland through canals from Rastan Dam, Mahardah Dam and Al-Ashary canal. However, after the irrigation water was cut off, farmers in Al-Ghab area began to suffer from drought, and the land became desert. This used to be one of the best agricultural areas. Last year, I relied on wells for irrigating my land, but the cost was too high to recover," said Nasir Hussein, another local farmer. Agriculture is a key pillar of Syria's economy, with millions of people relying on farming for their livelihoods. However, data from the United Nations show that currently only about 40 percent of Syria's farmland is under normal cultivation, with Idlib and Aleppo among the regions hardest hit by drought. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland/Orient TV/Syria Alshaab TV/Zanoubia TV/Alhurra TV/ANN TV/Al Jazeera/Al-Arabiya TV]