Development Options in Dry Areas:
The Khanasser Valley Integrated Research
Site in Syria
Communities in dry areas with marginal and degraded land resources are among the poorest of rural communities. Their livelihoods are affected by the risks inherent in dryland farming. The scant public services further affect their welfare. Agricultural research systems are challenged in helping to develop these communities. ICARDA has selected a benchmark site in the Khanasser valley, about 70 km from Aleppo city in northwestern Syria. It is a marginal area (200–250 mm annual rainfall) where people eke out a living from growing barley and raising sheep, and is an ideal place to test the integrated natural resources management (INRM) approach as a way of improving rural livelihoods and promoting sustainable use of natural resources.
The Khanasser Valley Integrated Research Site (KVIRS) is in a transitional zone between the steppe and agricultural land. The valley is home to about 17,800 people, in 1814 resident households in 31 villages of different sizes. The population density works out to 93 people/km2.
Methodology
Key issues at the watershed scale were characterized using a rapid rural
appraisal (RRA) methodology that included semi-structured surveys and
conversational interviews with key informants in each village in summer
of 2001.
A
view of the Khanasser Valley, near Aleppo in Syria.
Well-being
indicators
Rural well-being indicators, which include household assets, access to
asset building capital and basic infrastructure, are described below:
Access to services: About 65% had elementary schooling. The number of girls attending elementary school is half that of boys. Only 7% of those who finish elementary school go on to middle school, with girls less likely to move on than boys. Seasonal migration of households in pursuit of wage labor is a major constraint to school attendance. Investment in education, in addition to agricultural research and roads, is effective poverty reduction policy.
Land
Resources: Some
16,000 hectares are cultivable. A quarter of the cultivable land is fallow
at any given time. Individual holdings are small and almost entirely rainfed.
Communities have free access to about 4860 ha of degraded rangeland (23%
of total land), mainly on the hills surrounding the valley. About 39%
of the land is privately owned, 31% was acquired through the land reform
program implemented since 1958 with incomplete property rights, and 30%
is state land comprising leased cultivated and open access rangeland.
About 15 % of households own no land.
Based on natural, physical, financial, and human
capital, about 13% of the households were classified as very poor, 48%
poor, 33% moderately better off, and only 6% well off. Key informants
did not mention explicitly social capital as a well-being indicator, as
this is embedded naturally in the formation of other capitals.
Crop
production
Rainfed barley is the principal crop, accounting for about 65% of cultivated
land. It is adapted to dry environments and has good feed value. Wheat
is cultivated in limited areas (6%), mainly for household consumption.
There is growing interest in cumin as a cash crop.
In some villages, well owners irrigate small plots of cash crops, such
as cotton, vegetables, barley and wheat. About 1% of the cultivated area
is irrigated in summer. Intensive pumping has depleted groundwater and
deteriorated water quality. Thus, irrigation is now limited to a small
area. Well owners also sell water. Planting of fruit trees, mainly olives,
is slowly expanding. Some 74% of the communities are in favor of fruit
tree planting because of perceived higher returns than from barley.
Extensive sheep production
With 28,000 sheep and about 1300 goats reported in the valley, and about
70% of households owning livestock, sheep production holds an important
livelihood function; however, the size limits for a profitable flock need
to be determined.
Sheep
fattening
Sheep fattening, based entirely on hand feeding, is a new but increasingly
important activity. In this highly specialized intensive system, producers
buy lambs supplied by the extensive production system, then fatten and
sell them. Some 15% of households rely on the practice for quick profit.
Straw
trade
Straw is an important income earner for some households that move to irrigated
or wetter areas after harvesting their crops. They rent wheat fields with
crop residues, collect straw for their animals, and sell surplus straw
to traders.
Livestock plays a key role in the livelihood strategies of the Khanasser valley residents.
Off-farm
employment
Off-farm employment in the agricultural sector in more favorable areas,
in cities, and outside the country is an important livelihood strategy
in the valley. About 53% of households in Khanasser valley have members
who are off-farm wage laborers, 20% of households have members who are
wage laborers in cities, and 13% have members who labor outside Syria.
Classification
of communities
Eleven variables were used in a cluster analysis: number of households
resident in the village; total village area; total rangeland area; road
type; percentage of households having electricity; number of farmers owning
a tractor; availability of elementary school; number of households working
as off-farm wage laborers; number of households working outside Syria;
and number of farmers fattening sheep in the community. Three clusters
of villages with broadly similar livelihoods were identified.
Options for improving the livelihood of the poor
Discussions with farmers highlighted the following options
About 53% households in Khanasser valley have members who are wage laborers.
and factors that appear to influence farmers’ acceptance:
Improving
the barley/livestock system
Drought tolerant high performing barley varieties suitable for Khanasser
conditions could reduce risk and increase income. A farmer participatory
breeding program has been initiated.
Alley cropping of drought resistant atriplex
shrubs with barley, introduced in 1996, could increase availability of
nutritious feed, particularly during drought years. Most villages (70%),
however, have rejected this technology. The reasons are being investigated.
Improved flock management for dairy sheep and
small-scale village facilities for handling and processing quality milk
products could have a high payoff. This will depend, however, on factors
such as suitable flock size, feed cost, and milk prices.
Improved
practices of new crops
Improved water-harvesting techniques can enhance the productivity and
profitability of olive trees, particularly, if it reduces the irrigation
cost during the harsh summer months. Profitability also depends, however,
on prices, and given the expected increase in olive production in Syria
as plantations reach peak output, prices will fall unless exports increase
substantially. This requires an effective export strategy that includes
adoption of improved oil extraction technology, improved quality control,
and improved marketing skills.
Production of cash crops, such as cumin, can
have high returns, but is risky due to low and variable rainfall and market
fluctuations.
Value-added
enterprises
Sheep fattening is profitable, but lack of financial capital bars entry
into the business for many people. Institutional innovation, such as micro-credit,
could enable the poor to access the necessary capital. The informal credit
sector charges up to 30% interest.
Small-scale added value enterprises, such as
production of capers, medicinal plants and mushrooms, might have profit
potential, but there is limited information on which to draw clear conclusions.
The landscape of the valley is suited to the
building of micro-dams for limited irrigation, for example, of vegetables.
Development of small dams should, however, take into consideration the
effects on downstream users. For this reason, participation of stakeholders
in planning, development, and management is critical for their sustainable
use.
Ecotourism
The villages of the valley, with their unique traditional beehive houses,
the ancient subsurface water channels (qanats) and a nearby salty lake,
with its wild life and unique ecosystem, together represent an opportunity
for ecotourism. Development of ecotourism would require, however, that
local communities learn more about such enterprises and gain related organizational
skills.
Conclusion
The livelihood strategies of rural people in the dry areas, like those in Khanasser, are dynamic. People find new ways of augmenting their income such as through off-farm employment, sheep fattening, and new crops with perceived higher benefits. Farmers’ acceptance of practices with long-tern environmental and economic benefits is uncertain. The challenge for researchers is to develop options that bring about tangible improvements in people’s livelihoods and the environment.
Drs Aden Aw-Hassan (A.Aw-Hassan@cgiar.org), Ahmed Mazid, and Roberto La Rovere are Agricultural Economists at ICARDA.