Residents of northern Syria have been suffering for years amid growing poverty rates and lack of services. The situation is worsened by the harsh weather conditions every year. Meanwhile, little to no assistance is provided to those living in tents in the camps for internally displaced persons (IDP), whose numbers are constantly increasing.

Most recently, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has cast a shadow over northern Syria. This was evident in the significant increase in the prices of some basic food commodities, especially those imported from Russia and Ukraine.

All of these conditions have urged the people of northern Syria to adopt new tactics to secure their livelihood amid the lack of job opportunities. Many have started going around landfills digging for materials that can be sold, such as plastic, copper and iron, while others have started collecting medicinal herbs and edible wild plants from the plains and mountains in the area.

Samira, a mother of four who did not give her last name, lost her husband in a bombing in Homs countryside prior to her displacement. She told Al-Monitor, “We have lived in an IDP camp in the Deir Hassan area in Idlib countryside for years. At first, the aid provided to us was enough. But with the increase in the number of displaced people, things changed and I had to find something to do to secure sufficient food for my children. As a rural person with experience in the different types of wild edible plants, I started collecting them from the plains and the edges of the mountains.”