Warming ties with Baghdad in the past few years have put the country on a vital drip feed, as oil smuggled out of Iraq has been exchanged for Syrian consumer goods.

ECONOMIST: Syria hates the war, but is too weak to play the spoiler

For example, drip irrigation allowed Mr Thapa to grow cucumbers out of season, when they sold for three times their normal price.

ECONOMIST: Poverty

He cleared land, built dams, planted out new strains of coffee bush and laid pipelines to drip feed the plants with water and fertiliser.

ECONOMIST: Feed the world

What is more, by drip feeding money into the stock market month-in month-out Fiona's parents will benefit even if the share price falls in the short term as their investment will go further buying more shares.

BBC: University challenged