Off-Camp Syrian Refugees in Turkey: A Food Security Report

This report presents findings from the PAB (pre-assistance baseline) data that was collected from June to December 2015. A total of 1,562 off-camp Syrian refugee households were interviewed in four provinces, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis and Sanliurfa.

The findings reveal a precarious food security situation of the off-camp Syrian refugee households, with almost one-third of the interviewed households being food insecure, leaving the majority of sixty-six percent at risk of food insecurity.

Among the key drivers of food insecurity are the high level of poverty and limited access to regular employment. More than ninety percent of the interviewed households are poor as per the Turkish national living standard, and the population mostly engages in temporary or seasonal employment as unskilled casual labourers.

Although the overall food security situation among the off-camp Syrian refugee households is a concern, some are more vulnerable than the others and therefore deserve a special attention. Characteristics of vulnerable households include the followings: residents of poorer neighbourhoods, households with higher dependency ratios, women-headed households, household heads with lower educational attainments, and recently-arrived households.

Food insecure and vulnerable households cope with the situation through adapting severe livelihood coping strategies that have a detrimental impact on lives and livelihoods. Urgent humanitarian action is required to mitigate a further deterioration of the food security situation among the vulnerable off-camp Syrian refugee households.