HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – On a cold winter morning in the countryside of Hasakah, northeastern Syria, farmer Fawaz al-Jamil stands at the edge of his field, gazing at land that only a few years ago stretched green across 70 dunams before turning into a complete loss last season. “It didn’t even produce a single sack,” he told North Press.
This year, al-Jamil was forced to reduce his cultivated area to just 21 dunams, trying to strike a fragile balance between water scarcity and soaring farming costs. It is a new gamble on a season that does not promise much, yet keeps hope alive for a farmer who believes that the land, no matter how harsh, never fully closes its doors.
Speaking in his local dialect, al-Jamil explained his struggle as he pointed to his well. “Drought and the high prices of seeds and fertilizer forced us to reduce cultivated areas,” he said.
“The fertilizer I bought last year was poor and didn’t dissolve,” the farmer added. “This year, I planted only according to the limited water I have, which barely covers the land. If things continue like this until April, the wells will dry up.”
Al-Jamil’s hardship extends beyond water shortages to costs that weigh heavily on any farmer. A ton of seeds cost him $410, fertilizer $370, while plowing one dunam cost $12, in addition to the “farmer’s share,” which amounts to 15 percent of the harvest.
“If the situation remains like this,” he said bitterly, “we won’t be able to farm next year.”
Fields shrink under weight of drought
Al-Jamil’s story is not an exception, but a snapshot of the new agricultural season in the Hasakah countryside, where wheat and barley cultivation has sharply declined after consecutive years of drought and poor rainfall.
Losses from previous seasons have exhausted farmers, while rising agricultural input prices this year have doubled their burdens, leaving many with no option but to reduce cultivated areas or abandon farming altogether.
As a result, thousands of hectares have turned into uncultivated land, despite having produced wheat and other winter crops abundantly until recently. The scene reflects a steady year-on-year decline in cultivated land in a region once considered Syria’s breadbasket.
Farmers on the brink of giving up
A few kilometers away, farmer Mamdouh al-Adi, who owns 230 dunams, told North Press how his situation has deteriorated.
“Before the Khabur River dried up and fuel supplies declined, I used to plant the entire area with winter crops and dedicate a small portion to cotton,” al-Adi said. “Today, I can only cultivate 40 dunams, and I’ve left the rest rain-fed.”
He attributed the decline to fuel shortages, weak well water, and the absence of agricultural support. Lacking a farming license, he is forced to buy seeds from the black market. “Traders sell a ton of wheat for more than $500, and barley for $600. Diesel isn’t always available, so we rely on solar power, but winter clouds disrupt farming.”
With plowing costs rising to $15 per dunam and the price of good-quality fertilizer reaching $800 per ton, Mamdouh warned, “This situation means farming will fail and stop altogether if we’re not supported.”
Meanwhile, Mohammed al-Jassem, from the village of al-Bajariyah in the Tel Tamr countryside, north of Hasakah city, owns 24 dunams but cultivated only 10 this season, despite having two shallow wells.
“We irrigate using solar power only, and when it’s cloudy the panels stop working,” al-Jassem said. “Seeds, tractors, fertilizer, and harvesting have all become expensive. We rely on the season to support our families, but the conditions are extremely difficult.”
Between exhausted land and farmers persisting more with hope than with money, the region is currently experiencing a low-pressure system accompanied by heavy rainfall, which may revive hopes for a better season after many years of drought and scarce rainfall.