Pistachio farming in north-western Syria still faces challenges - in pictures

Farmers have had their hopes dashed by scorched trees and the ravages of climate change

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  Farmer Youssef Ibrahim tends to a pistachio tree at his farm, in the northwestern village of Maan, Syria August 8, 2022. REUTERS / Firas Makdesi

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  Farmers near the north-western village of Maan are harvesting only a quarter of the crop they gathered before the civil war.

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  The long road to recovery has been obstructed by 'the lack of rainfall, climate change as a whole, and the lack of basic materials', one pistachio farmer complained.

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  Syria's worst drought in 70 years took place last year and much of its land remains parched.

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  The nuts tend to be harvested at dawn and sunset when their shells split naturally, generating a cracking noise that guides farmers to trees ready for picking.

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  Farmer Nayef Ibrahim tends to a pistachio tree at his farm, in the north-western village of Maan.

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  Syrian Agriculture Ministry official Jihad Mohamed said pistachio farming had suffered because the areas in which the nuts are grown had been badly affected by the war.

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  Despite that, exports continue with Syrian pistachios selling in markets including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon.

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