Key highlights:

• Agriculture inputs and Food prices in the monitored governorates continue to rise, exerting more pressure on most Syrian families. Findings show that out of 28 monitored agriculture inputs, 25 of these inputs showed an increase ranging between 1 percent  for wheat bran and 45 percent for soya bean meal. In terms of food items, 15 out of the 16 monitored food items showed varied increases in price in August 2021. The most significant average price increase recorded was for potato (62 percent m-o-m), tomato (59 percent m-o-m), and fish (21 percent m-o-m) in August 2021. The average price of bread also increased by an estimated 13 percent m-o-m across the monitored governorates.
• Fuel shortages continue to persist in most governorates and this has presented challenges to farmers who also rely on fuel for land preparation, irrigation, transportation and other agriculture value chain activities for the coming winter season. The fuel shortages and supply constraints are putting financial pressure on farmers since this is having knock-on effects on overall production costs.
• The shortage of cattle and sheep fodder due to the absence of natural rangelands, emanating from the erratic season in 2020/2021, and limited availability of pastures and green feed, has resulted in a sharp increase in livestock feed prices.
• Security incidents in southern Syria, specifically in Dará Al-balad, affected the smooth movement of different agriculture inputs and commodities. The disturbances in Dar’a had an effect on accessibility and availability of different agriculture inputs, preventing farmers from continuing their normal agriculture activities as the surrounding yards became inaccessible.
• By 31st August 2021, the Syrian pound continued to depreciate in the informal market with a continued fall to just above 3,350 SYP / USD, while the official exchange rate remained pegged at SYP 2,500/USD. This will most likely result in the continued increase in agriculture input prices, especially for those that are imported and sold in the local markets. 
• The COVID-19 pandemic continues to add another layer of challenges among Syrian families. According to WHO regular updates, reports show that the number of people confirmed by the Ministry of Health (MoH) to have COVID-19 as of 16th August 2021 are 1, 677 (this includes 64 fatalities, 417 recoveries).