Leen Almukaddem1*
1 Tartus Research Center, General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research (GCSAR), Syria.
(*Corresponding author: Leen Almukaddem, Email: leeno1411@yahoo.com, Mob.: 0933374718)
Received: 24/ 6/ 2025 Accepted: 3/ 9/ 2025
Abstract
This study highlights the impact of the Syrian crisis on the livestock sector and its products, assessing its contribution to achieving national food security by comparing two time periods: pre-crisis (2002–2011) and during the crisis (2012–2022). The study was based on secondary data collected from the agricultural statistical yearbook of the Ministry of Agriculture. The results indicated that livestock production experienced a significant decline during the crisis period. Although relative self-sufficiency was observed in some products, such as red meat and poultry, which reached 114.5% and 102.3% respectively during pre-crisis period. however, this self-sufficiency declined markedly during the crisis period to reach 98.7% and 96.7% respectively, reflecting significant challenges in ensuring food provision for the population. A comparison of the two study periods revealed a reduction in the average strategic stock of all livestock products, except for red meat and fish. with a deficit in the consumption quantities of poultry meat, milk, and eggs during the crisis period, leading to a decline in the food security coefficient for most animal products, particularly poultry meat, eggs, and milk, where the food security coefficient recorded of -0.017, -0.02, and -0.023, respectively. Therefore, the study recommends increasing the strategic stock of animal-based food commodities and emphasizes the need for effective policies to support the recovery of the sector and addressing future challenges.
Keywords: Livestock, Consumption Availability, Self-Sufficiency, Food Security, Strategic Stock.
Full paper in Arabic: PDF