Thematic Brief
Recovering Animal Health & Livestock Production Systems in Syria
Conflict, severe drought, market volatility, and livestock diseases have eroded Syria’s livestock production systems. The Building Local Resilience in Syria (BLRS) programme implements a range of interventions to recover these systems and help rural households rebuild livelihoods, income, nutrition, and resilience.
Supporting livestock keepers in Syria
In rural Syria, livestock keeping underpins household livelihoods and food security. The BLRS programme aims to strengthen the entire livestock value chain through livestock inputs, farmer field schools, artificial insemination, animal health services, and processing support and equipment, so that improved livestock systems bolster farmers’ ability to withstand shocks such as drought and market volatility. Implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Syria Resilience Initiative (SRI), and CARE International, and funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), BLRS combines livestock support with wider livelihood and resilience programming.
This thematic brief presents the BLRS programme and key findings from ISDC’s impact evaluations of its livestock component in Syria.
Overall, BLRS provides support for more than 115.000 Syrians every year.
Find out more about BLRS.Meat on the Syrian table: before and now
Before the conflict, animal protein accounted for the largest proportion of household food budgets. Meat, fish and eggs made up 21% of what Syrian households spent on food. Now, livestock keepers face pressure from three directions: shrinking pasture, fodder costs that have outpaced income, and a shortage of vaccines in the veterinary system.
Where the situation stands now
18.4%
of Syrian households are food secure
“With the upkeep of their animals becoming ever more difficult and costly, many herding families have been forced to sell or slaughter their sheep, goats and poultry. ”
What UK Aid delivers
A three-year UK commitment, running to March 2028, prioritising women-headed households, people with disabilities, and displaced or returnee families.
500,000+
people benefitted from agricultural support through UK and FAO joint efforts
Implemented by FAO with Syria Resilience Initiative and CARE International Funded by UK FCDO
BLRS provides support that strengthens the entire livestock value chain
Livestock inputs
Provision of home-based hydroponic kits, cash for fodder, and communal dairy support via livestock committees to enhance fodder access and dairy production
Farmer Field Schools
FFS-based training on livestock care, balanced feeding, disease control, breeding, dairy processing, and sustainable fodder, aimed at improving productivity and livelihoods
Artificial insemination
Support to livestock keepers to improve cow genetics, increase milk and meat production, reduce disease risks, and strengthen food security and rural livelihoods
Animal health services
Veterinary assistance to improve livestock health, boost food production, sustain smallholder livelihoods, and enhance food security for vulnerable populations
Processing support and equipment
Support for milk collection centers and dairy units to reduce post-harvest losses, promote value addition, and improve market access and incomes
Featured interventions on the ground
The video below shows what fodder support, veterinary care and artificial insemination look like when they reach livestock keepers.
FAO’s livestock campaign in As-Sweida, Daraa, Quneitra and Rural Damascus, supported by OCHA. Farmers receive high nutrient fodder, animal treatment and artificial insemination to restore and sustain food production during the winter season. The package mirrors the animal health support BLRS delivers (FAO).
Deep dive: farmer field schools (FFS)
FFS are participatory, field-based learning groups in which farmers meet regularly to develop their skills through hands-on experimentation and observation. Livestock FFS aims to strengthen animal health and productivity through practical training in balanced feed formulation, disease prevention, improved management practices and breeding techniques, delivered across three specialisations.
3,363
livestock keepers trained in the cattle FFS. They learnt vaccination protocols, early disease detection and biosecurity.
1,431
livestock keepers trained in the sheep FFS. They learnt the same animal health practices applied to small ruminants.
492
farmers trained in the fodder maize FFS. They learnt how to produce fodder sustainably to feed their livestock.
~6,000
households received direct veterinary services and disease prevention support.
Source: FAO, 2026
What the evidence shows
Impact findings from FAO’s FFS activities in combination with artificial insemination and animal health support, 1.5 years into Phase 1 implementation:
Improved food security
Livestock FFS beneficiaries improved their food security by 9% on the Food Consumption Score and 7% on the Household Dietary Diversity Scale.
More resilient herds
Amid national destocking of herd sizes (non-beneficiary herds decreased by 18% for cattle and 37% for sheep), beneficiary herds only decreased by 8% and sheep herds by 14%.
Enhanced fodder production
Amid severe drought, fodder maize yields for Livestock FFS participants rose 17% to 6.2 t/ha, supporting on-farm feed supply.
Strengthened resilience
The Resilience Capacity Index improved by 12% among Livestock FFS participants, driven by stabilised crop and livestock production.
No economic returns yet
In the short term, production and productivity gains have not yet translated into measurable economic returns.
Resilience against market volatility
Female-headed households saw fewer benefits than the average household
Lessons learnt
Resilience against market volatility
The programme should continue promoting on-farm input production through FFS, and pilot input subsidies during price spikes.
Asset recovery
Prioritise rebuilding herds, particularly cattle, and explore insurance, savings and credit to prevent distress sales.
Commercialisation
Future interventions should place greater emphasis on commercialisation, for example through post-harvest processing and small-scale commercialisation of inputs such as fodder, and should reinforce market linkages through aggregation mechanisms and farmer cooperatives.
Integrated support: training, artificial insemination, and veterinary care, measurably improved food consumption, protected herds, and built short-term resilience. Income gains haven’t caught up yet. Phase 2 should continue to prioritise the FFS model while strengthening asset recovery, commercialisation and delivery to the most vulnerable households.
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This project is funded by UK aid from the UK government.
