دراسة تحليلية لتطور أنماط الري الحديث واستغلال الأراضي الزراعية في سورية خلال الفترة 2002-2022

Abstract

The research aimed to analyze and assess the structural evolution of the efficiency of available agricultural land utilization, and to monitor changes in the area of modern irrigation and the resulting water use efficiency. Furthermore, it sought to identify the quantitative and relative changes in the structure of reliance on different irrigation sources, and to monitor changes in the irrigation intensity index to determine its impact on the increased vulnerability of the Syrian agricultural sector to the risks of drought and climatic fluctuations. To achieve these objectives, the study adopted the descriptive analytical approach, using time-series data from the Syrian Central Bureau of Statistics, relying on descriptive statistical tools, calculating efficiency indices, and annual growth rates to interpret the main structural trends.

The research findings showed that the Syrian agricultural sector experienced profound structural deterioration during the study period, starting with a sharp decline in the actually cultivated land area after 2011 due to the loss of security and damage to infrastructure, which led to the efficiency of available land utilization dropping to its lowest levels. The total irrigated area also contracted significantly, with the sector losing approximately one-third of its essential irrigated area, primarily due to the collapse of well-based irrigation, which depends on energy, and the deterioration of surface water sources. Although groundwater remained the dominant source of irrigation, its absolute share decreased, while the irrigation intensity index fell, confirming the increased exposure of Syrian agriculture to drought risks. Regarding water use efficiency, modern irrigation areas, which had been growing strongly before 2011, suffered an unprecedented setback and deterioration in recent years, leading to a significant loss of the gained relative efficiency and water rationalization efforts.