07 April 2020, Hama, Syria - FAO is helping farmers build so-called "low tunnels" to produce vegetable seedlings. The low tunnel vegetable seedling project started in March 2020, and this is the first time this approach to producing seedlings has been used at scale in the country. Each low tunnel (2x10 metre) can produce enough seedlings for vegetables (tomatoes, pepper, cucumbers and eggplant) for planting by ten households. The nurseries use sprinkle irrigation, which means less water being used. We estimate that each farmer will earn an additional income from vegetable production of about SYP 1 000 000 (over USD 1,000) per year. This season, the low tunnel work will benefit 700 farmers directly, while providing good quality vegetable seedlings to up to 7,000, with plans to scale up considerably over the next 1-2 years. While carrying out these activities, all people are practising physical distancing and, if needed, wearing masks.