Canada supports agriculture in southern Iraq
An Iraqi farmer farming his land. Photo NPR/Ghassan Adnan
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Canadian government, represented by its embassy in Iraq, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Iraq signed a four-year agreement worth $10 million Canadian dollars (equivalent to US$ 7.3 million) to implement a project strengthening the climate resilience of vulnerable agriculture households in southern Iraqi governorates, according to a statement issued by the FAO.
The governorates where the project will be implemented are Babylon, Maysan, Muthanna, Najaf, Al Diwaniyah, Thi Qar and Wasit.
The project will empower women as change agents for climate-smart agriculture and address the food-energy-water nexus, the statement mentioned.
Activities under the agreement include providing technical assistance, strengthening the leadership and active engagement of women farmers in the promotion and adoption of climate smart agriculture, improving agricultural value chain efficiency and rural electrification, the statement explained.
The activities will also provide updated digital tools for more sustainable natural resource management in agriculture, the statement illustrated.
The project implemented in cooperation and partnership with the Iraqi ministries of agriculture, environment, and water resources, as well as other governmental partners, agricultural federations, and non-governmental organizations, will work on sustainability, awareness of climate change, and the adoption of climate-smart technologies and practices, the statement added.