The flooding of the Euphrates River in the western countryside of Deir Ezzor in May 2026 prompted farmers to sell their livestock and production assets in a desperate attempt to secure their basic needs, after 85% of them lost their source of agricultural income in whole or in part, a quick assessment by Oxfam showed.

According to the assessment published by the organization on Thursday (June 18th), the affected areas amounted to about 20,500 dunums of wheat, barley, cotton and vegetables, which caused the agricultural season in Deir Ezzor province to collapse before reaching the harvest stage.

The assessment, carried out by Oxfam's Food Security and Livelihoods Team between 31 May and 3 June, involved 89 households in Al-Tabana, Deir Ezzor and Khasham, and found that individual and collective irrigation systems were completely out of service as a result of flooding of pumps and the accumulation of mud inside the pipes, exacerbating losses and threatening farmers' ability to resume their agricultural activity.

43 % of those affected sold their livestock or productive assets

The report pointed out that the occurrence of the floods at the peak of the harvest season led to the destruction of existing crops before harvesting, especially wheat, barley, cotton and vegetables, and these losses prompted many families to take harsh measures, as 43% of those affected sold their livestock or productive assets, while 25% planned to resort to borrowing to secure their needs and continue their agricultural work.

Despite this catastrophic reality, the affected farmers have shown a clear desire to continue farming, with more than 63% of them confirming their intention to cultivate their land during the next season, considering this percentage " an indication of the possibility of agricultural recovery provided that appropriate support is provided at the right time", FAO said in its report.

FAO called for the rehabilitation of irrigation networks and related infrastructure, the provision of agricultural production requirements such as seeds, fertilizers and fodder, in addition to providing direct cash support to affected families to bridge the current income gap, and providing technical assistance to reinstall and operate pumps efficiently.

Heavy losses in Raqqa

The organization indicated that the effects of the Euphrates flood were not limited to the western countryside of Deir Ezzor, as the damage extended to Raqqa and other areas of Deir Ezzor, where the water flooded fields ready for harvest and washed away fields and wheat crops in several villages, including Shumaitiyya, Hawija Sakr and Mahakan.

The unprecedented rise in the flow of the Euphrates River has led to the rotting of wheat ears, suffocation of plant roots, disruption of harvesters and tractors and the blocking of agricultural roads, forcing farmers to try to save what can be saved manually in a race against time before the damage expands.

Who is Oxfam?

Oxfam is an international consortium of 21 independent NGOs working within a single global network to combat poverty, reduce inequality, and provide emergency humanitarian assistance in more than 90 countries, founded in 1942 in Oxford, England, as a famine relief committee, before expanding into one of the most prominent international actors on social and economic justice issues.

In Syria, Oxfam is implementing extensive humanitarian and development programmes, focused on the water sector, by rehabilitating damaged water systems and providing safe drinking water to local communities and IDP camps to curb the spread of epidemics such as cholera.

FAO is active in food security and livelihood programmes by supporting farmers with seeds and fertilizers and providing conditional grants to the poorest families to establish small, income-generating projects, and continues to respond to the effects of earthquakes and accumulated crises by restoring service infrastructure in the most affected governorates.