The sector still accounts for an estimated 26 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and represents a critical safety net for the 6.7 million Syrians – including those internally displaced - who still remain in rural areas. Before the civil war that began in March of 2011, Syria’s main agricultural exports included wheat, barley, cotton, sugar, tomatoes, potatoes, oranges, apples, olive oil, sheep, cattle, poultry and eggs. The primary agricultural products are cotton, olives, wheat, barley, lentils, chickpeas, sugar beets, Nevertheless, agriculture continues to be the largest sector of the economy. There are many reasons to believe that Syrian agriculture has great potential for the future.
Agriculture is a significant component of Syria’s economy, culture and livelihoods, and without durable efforts to build back this industry in a sustainable way, Syrians may soon face a crisis of serious food insecurity and great unemployment, both triggers that will inevitably reignite the conflict. Up to 40 percent of the population’s livelihoods were connected in some way to agriculture. With its Mediterranean climate and location in the ancient Fertile Crescent, Syria was once the region’s only self-sufficient country in food … As agriculture is one the main drivers of the Syrian economy, communities have been struggling to survive and as many as 6.5 million Syrians have been left food insecure and another 4 million are at risk of becoming food insecure. A Nation Ravaged by Food Insecurity The liberalisation of agriculture in Eastern Europe delivered rapid growth in the late 1990s and early 2000s In the past, agriculture was Syria's main industry. The agricultural sector in Syria accounted for 29 percent of the GDP in 1997 and employed an estimated 40 percent of labor in 1996, including a significant proportion of townspeople. However, beginning in 1970's, trade followed by mining and to a lesser extent industry, started to grow at higher rates than agriculture. Despite six years of crisis in Syria, agriculture remains a key part of the economy.