Increasing the Resilience of the Food Systems
In Islamic States in Face of Future Food Crises
48
An estimated two million children167 under five were acutely malnourished—600,000 so
severely that they required urgent attention. Almost half a million pregnant and lactating
women in 2018 were acutely malnourished, representing a surge of 42,000 from 2017. Forty-
eight percent of pastoralists reported diminished livestock capacity and a surge in animal
deaths.168
Syria suffered its worst drought in 30 years,169 followed by heavy rains. Six and a half million
food-insecure people required food and livelihood assistance, while an estimated 2.5 million
people were at the brink of food insecurity.170 An estimated 478,000 people living in resort
camps in Northwest and Northeast Syria have very limited access to proper food. Climatic
challenges and conflict were key negative influencers. Damaged infrastructure and import
sanctions impacted agriculture, and unemployment grew to 55%.
In Syria, around 92,000 children under fivewere acutelymalnourished, and 19,300 faced severe
acute malnourishment.171 Duma was the only besieged area in Eastern Ghouta by the end of
March; people here had no access to agricultural land or markets, and humanitarian aid was the
only source of food. Feeding just one child per day in households that could not feed all their
children simultaneously was one of the reported detrimental coping strategies.172 Nutrition
evaluations in July 2018 reported 10,064 cases of moderate to acute malnutrition among
pregnant and lactating women. Northeast Syria faced substantial crop failure due to drought.
Livestock farmers had to contend with damaged pasture and elevated fodder prices.173
Table 22: Syria - Key Malnutrition Indicators
Prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) 33.6% (2016) 174
Percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services 96.7 (2015) 175
Percentage of children aged 0-59 months stunted (10-<20% = medium) 13 176
Percentage of children aged 6-23 months received ‘Minimum Acceptable Diet’ for
growth & development. (Aleppo, Idleb and Hama governorates).
32 177
Percentage of population using at least basic sanitation services (percent) 92.9 (2015) 178
Source: FAO
Sudan experienced substantial acute food insecurity: 6.2million peoplewere in a food crisis and
emergency states, facing high or very high acute malnutrition that required urgent assistance.
Lack of employment opportunities rendered refugees vulnerable. Aggregate cereal production
167 UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. (2018, December 6). 2019 Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs
Overview. Retrieved from
168 Global Report on Food Crises 2019
169 Food Security Information Network. (2019, April). Global Report on Food Crises2019.Retrieved from
170 HNO. (2019). Syrian Arab Republic Humanitarian Needs Overview. Retrieved from
171 Ibid.
172 WFPmVAM Bulletin. (2018, March). Food SecurityAnalysis – Syria. Retrieved from
173 FAO. (2018, October 9). Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission to the Syrian Arab Republic. Retrieved from
174 FAOSTAT Online Database.
175 Ibid.
176 HNO. (2019). Syrian Arab Republic Humanitarian Needs Overview. Retrieved
177 Humanitarian Response. (2017, April). Report on the KAP IYCF Survey. Retrieved from
practices-kap-survey-infant-and
178 FAOSTAT Online Database.