Syria: Spineless Cactus Fodder

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is helping vulnerable farmers in the rural outskirts of Damascus to better adapt to climate change by cultivating spineless cactus on the edges of their fields. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is helping vulnerable farmers in the rural outskirts of Damascus to better adapt to climate change by cultivating spineless cactus on the edges of their fields.

Spineless cactus is a drought-tolerant crop used as a supplemental food source for livestock. This solution aims to improve households’ food security and nutrition by ameliorating irrigation management so that scarce water resources are employed to produce food crops instead of fodder crops.

Jalal Hamoud, FAO Syria Food Security Officer, said that FAO trained farmers on spineless cactus cultivation and provided them with input to plant the cactus and then feed it to their animals. “This was an experimental practice for them,” he added.

Cactus pads are rich in minerals like calcium, phosphorous, and magnesium and have moderate protein and fiber levels. This plant does not require much water to grow, so farmers can continue producing fodder and feeding their animals even when the rain is scarce.

Farmers can start harvesting cactus pads one year after planting and harvest pads every four months for more than 20 years.

Hamoud, said “this is a leading intervention for climate change resilience and adaptation. Spineless cactus is a superior drought-resilient crop and a great nutritious fodder source for animals, considering that it is a complementary fodder mixed with other varieties. It will reduce fodder costs for smallholder farmers. Finally, it requires less water compared to other types of plants.”

FAO has introduced this solution to help improve local management of natural resources by saving water for irrigation and investing in marginal areas, increasing soil organic matter, and increasing vegetation cover.

Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis in 2011, resilience-building has been a major component of FAO activities in the country, with interventions to support local smallholder crop and livestock production, promote sustainable livelihood and employment opportunities for households and communities and enhance sustainable use of natural resources.