Reviving Syria's Olive and Pistachio Groves

Syria Forest Foundation is a diaspora-led nonprofit, based in Washington, DC, that launched its Olive and Pistachio Revitalization Program on 3 February 2025 to rebuild the arid-region agroforestry that around 41% of Syrians depend on for their livelihoods. The foundation trains university students and farmers in arid-climate agriculture, builds local nurseries and urban-greening pilots using nature-based solutions, and is working to establish farmer cooperatives and a farmer-owned microfinance bank. Its March 2025 research report documented that Syria lost roughly 63,700 hectares of forest -- about 19.3% of its forest cover -- between 2011 and 2019, mostly to war-driven logging near roads, conflict zones and displacement camps. The team combines Syrian, diaspora and international agriculture, economics and forestry expertise to target Syria's status as the world's 4th-largest pistachio producer and 7th-largest olive oil exporter.