Drying up Land

For decades, kilometres of rivers have been vital lifelines for local farmers and traders in Syria. They serve as an economic backbone for millions of Syrians and supply the entire Middle East with grain. But extreme drought and the construction of Turkish dams curbing the water supply threaten agriculture. As a result, rivers risk drying up, while political interests, protracted conflicts and the spread of diseases in the region further complicate water management.

Nomads Eugenie D'Hooghe, Kanzi Louagie and Simon Clément travel to the Kurdish autonomous region in north-eastern Syria to investigate the impact on local farmers. Is their future at stake? And what if Syria can no longer supply grain? Does the country slip further into poverty, or are there alternatives?