Supporting Emergency Needs, Early Recovery and Longer-term Resilience in Syria’s Agriculture Sector (Endline Report 2021)

Endline Report of the Impact Assessment of the FCDO- funded FAO Programme in Syria

The “Supporting emergency needs, early recovery and longer-term resilience in Syria’s agriculture sector” project is a FAO programme in Syria, funded by FCDO (previously DFID). FAO Syria implemented the programme between October 2017 and May 2021 in nine Governorates across Syria, using various types of interventions.

The programme has three key objectives:

1. To increase food availability for vulnerable households through improved smallholderproduction;
2. To build sustainable access to productive assets, income and food supply; and
3. To foster enabling environments for resilience building and recovery of the agricultural sector.

In this endline report, we present the findings of the impact evaluation of the overall programme with particular focus on resilience outcomes.

First, we examine changes in trends in the food security, resilience and agricultural activities of smallholder farmers across Syria. We pay specific attention to changes in food security and resilience across the three waves at the governorate levels and present how households face climatic and economic shocks.

Second, we analyse the current status of households at the endline comparing differences in outcomes of food security and resilience indicators, agricultural and livestock production, and income generated from the value chain activities between the beneficiary and non-beneficiary groups.

Third, we build on the baseline and midline findings to assess the impact of the programme over time on various outcome indicators related to food security, the use of harmful coping strategies, crop production, and engagement in value chain activities. All these outcome indicators will provide a holistic overview on how the programme and the interventions strengthened the resilience of households against recurring shocks. We will pay particular attention to the outcomes for female-headed households.