Agriculture in Syria is a dominant economic sector. It contributes about 32% to the GDP, and employs nearly 31% of the workforce, with another 50% of the manufacturing force dependent on it for employment. The country is accounted for a population of 16.3 million in 2000 and is rapidly growing at an annual rate of 2.37%.

Food security through increased crop production is amongst the highest priorities of the government which accords a high attention to the issue and provides support to the expansion of agriculture and rural development, particularly in the densely populated areas. Irrigation forms the backbone of sustainable agricultural development and national food security and buffers the agricultural sector against climatic variability and water shortage. It is also a means of increasing the economic returns from agriculture and reducing production risks.

The cultivated land area in Syria was estimated at 5.5 million ha in 2000, which accounted about 30% of the total country area. Over 20% of the cultivated land area (1.2 million hectares) was irrigated. The total irrigated area increased from 650,000 ha in 1985 to 1.2 million ha in 2002. This remarkable expansion of irrigation is mainly attributed to the rapid increase in groundwater irrigation. Sixty percent of all irrigated area in Syria is currently irrigated by groundwater, which are all privately developed and operated.

The predominant method of irrigation in the agricultural sector of Syria is the conventional surface technique with an overall efficiency bellow 50%. Modern and potentially high efficient methods are limited and the overall losses associated with the traditional irrigation methods are high. The situation as described, associated with traditional irrigation practices and on-farm water management, created conditions for the application of amounts of water far in excess of crop needs.

The rapid increase in the irrigated area and the loss of large quantities of water through mostly low efficiency, traditional methods of application have led to an overall shortage of water resources and particularly an alarming decline in groundwater levels.

Conscious of these issues and of the need to sustain agricultural production and rural income, especially for small farmers, through the sustainable management and optimal utilization of the natural resources, the Syrian government has adopted a strategy aimed, amongst other objectives, at: sustainable water resources and irrigation development to meet the growing demand from agriculture and other water user sectors; and optimal utilization and conservation of water resources in irrigation as a priority for national food security, through the introduction of improved irrigation methods and water control and management tools.

In Syria, the government, through the Ministry of Irrigation, started in 2001 an ambitious plan investing about 32 billion Syrian Pounds (600 million US$) for the next 4 years on the rehabilitation and modernization of old irrigation projects to improve conveyance efficiency and minimize distribution losses through converting open irrigation canal systems to pressurized pipe systems and rehabilitate lined canal systems. It also adopted the modernization policy at field level and encouraged farmers to change to modern irrigation techniques by providing tax-free low-interest loans to cover the capital costs of modern techniques and technical advice on the implementation and use of such systems. However, the level of adoption of these techniques is still low due to the lack of confidence amongst farmers in the expected financial return from the use of such techniques that justify the investment and effort associated, the lack of confidence of the new techniques amongst farmers and the lack of incentives amongst farmers to invest in modernized on farm irrigation system, the inadequate technical support by extension services. The government is extending its plan of modernization to cover the entire irrigated land in the country (mega project of 1.4 million ha).

It is against such background, the Symposium on Irrigation Modernization: Constraints and Options will be organized in support the country’s plan analyze the current situation of modernization in the country with its regional implication and to exert efforts to grasp the new circumstances and issues currently faced in the region.