AGA KHAN FOUNDATION

Conservation Agriculture: Perspectives from Salamieh district, Syria

5th World Congress of Conservation AgricultureBrisbane, Australia

September 27th, 2011

Shinan N. KassamBaqir Lalani

Bassil Al-Eter

CENTRAL MESSAGE

Conservation agriculture (CA) has a role, outside the realm of profitable agricultural production practices, sensitive to a range of environmental concerns and sustainability, to one of a catalyst for social development in fragile rural environments.

Brief Profile of Salamieh District

Hama provinceSalamieh District

One of five districts within Hama Governorate.

Covers an area of about 5300sq km.

Total population is estimated at 244 000.

40,000 households in the district spread over 172 villages.

Unemployment rate estimated at 30% of the population (more than 18 years old) .

65% of the population estimated to be under the age of 25.

70% of the population earns less than $150 per month.

BACKGROUND• Increased frequency of drought

• Strong crop-livestock interactions

• Regulatory response has been varied• Agro ecological zones defined but not updated in 50+ years;• Pricing policy for barley, wheat and other strategic crops;• Promises of water diversion schemes;• Subsidies for drip irrigation

• Limited grass roots movements

OBSERVED RESPONSE

• Numbers of groundwater wells continue to increase but so do the number of dry wells;

• Increased adoption of ‘modernized’ irrigation where groundwater is still available but . . . ;

• Decrease in the area of irrigated land;

• Search for drought tolerant seed

UNCOVERING OPTIONS

• Depends upon the nature of the objective(s);

• Requires an exercise of rethinking agricultural research, agricultural education, public and private services to agriculture, and . . . agricultural policy;

PROPOSITION

Secure rural livelihoods in a fragile and water short environment by expanding the set of choices, opportunities and access to public, private and environmental services.

CONSIDERATIONS

•optimal crop mix?

•water use efficiency

•public policy support

Under what land use management system?

• Zero tillage adoption on the rise in Syria;

• Moving past zero tillage and into CA will require appropriate partnerships (research centres, MoA, farmers and development agencies) that share risks while proof of concept is achieved;

• Institutionalization of a core philosophy through appropriate agricultural education and awareness;

• Need to engage in policy reform with the MoA and from within the MoA (civil society agenda);

• Requires long term engagement and multiple inputs in order to secure livelihoods (social development agenda)…most donor funding cycles are too short or too narrow in focus.