Press Release

Launching of Al-Rafidain Application for Agricultural Extension The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture: Joint efforts to modernize agricultural extension

18 June 2023

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture have announced the launch of the digital application "Al-Rafidain for Agricultural Extension" for the benefit of farmers throughout the Republic of Iraq.

The launching ceremony was held at the Ministry's headquarters in Baghdad under the patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Agriculture Engineer Abbas Jabr Al-Alawi, represented by the Technical Deputy Minister Dr. Mithaq Al-Khafaji, Director General of Agricultural Extension, Mr. Munir Kredi, Dr. Hadi Hashim, and Dr. Salah El Hajj Hassan, FAO Representative in Iraq , as well as a large number of specialists, university experts, partners, and agricultural extension officers from all agricultural departments.

During the event, the digital application "Al-Rafidain Agricultural Extension", which serves both the crop and livestock sectors of agriculture was presented. Participants urged agricultural extension officers to widely use the application and promote it among farmers.

Dr. Mithaq Al-Khafaji stressed the importance of supporting successful experiments and projects that contribute to the development of the agricultural process, improve the agricultural reality and generalize them in all regions of Iraq, while adopting scientific methods of modern agriculture to improve the agricultural sector.

Dr Hadi Hashim stressed the importance of working with this application for its role in providing agricultural information and advice and expressed his gratitude to FAO for supporting the agricultural sector in Iraq.

The Director General of the Agricultural Extension and Training Department stated that this project, the result of joint technical cooperation between the ministry and the FAO, will enable the adoption of a modern system for Iraqi agricultural extension through digital innovation and capacity development.

Dr. Salah El Haj Hassan, stated in his opening speech that supporting digital agriculture and agricultural extension services is one of the organization's key initiatives. The main objective is to support farmers and rural families in their agricultural and marketing endeavours and to ensure the provision of the latest technologies are available to extension officers and farmers. He also emphasized the importance of this application at the national level in strengthening the agricultural extension system through digital innovation and activating cooperation between all relevant entities.

During their interventions, the experts emphasised the importance of this application in supporting farmers and meeting their needs through a comprehensive platform. This platform allows them to report cases of animal diseases, to be informed about current market prices for fruit and vegetables, and to communicate with experts and other users of the application on various aspects related to crops, livestock resources and the agricultural sector as a whole.

This initiative reflects the Food and Agriculture Organization's commitment to promoting sustainable agriculture, while the Ministry of Agriculture demonstrates its eagerness to strengthen the sector. By harnessing the power of digital innovation, FAO and the Ministry are paving the way for a more flexible, inclusive and prosperous agricultural future in Iraq.

Khawla Ben Aicha

FAO

Communications Specialist

khawla.benaicha@fao.org

Salah Elhajjhassan

FAO

Representative

salah.elhajjhassan@fao.org

Mr Hajj Hassan, a national of Lebanon, holds a Ph.D. in Plant Production from the University of Agriculture, Damascus, Syria; a Master of Science degree in Plant Production and a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering, both from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.
He started his career in 1984, as Senior Research Assistant in the Agricultural Research and Education Centre (AREC), American University of Beirut. From 1987 to 1991, he was Coordinator of the Student Training Programme, and also Agriculture and Horticultural Teacher for the Faculty of Agriculture, at the Lebanese University.
From 1991 to 1995, he worked as Agricultural Engineer at the Ministry of Agriculture, Bekaa Regional Office, Zahlah and was then assigned to the Agricultural Research Institute in the Tal Amara station, first as Head of the Crop Production Department and subsequently in charge of the Plant Protection Laboratory. From 2002 to 2006, he was Director of the Kfardane Research Station (Agricultural Research Institute). In 2008, he became Visiting Scientist at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) and Coordinator of a project with the International Centre for Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna.
In 2010, he served as Advisor to the Minister for Agriculture of Lebanon. In 2011, he became President of the Pesticide Scientific Committee, Head of the Phytoplasma Committee and Director of the Agriculture and Rural Development Programme (ARDP) (EU-funded project). From 2010 to 2013, he represented Lebanon in negotiations with EU, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq. During his career, Mr Hajj Hassan also carried out a number of other functions. He represented the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI) in several research programmes with the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and the American University of Beirut. He was Coordinator of the Mashreq/Maghreb project with ICARDA, representing Lebanon in the Steering Committee, as well as being the Head of the Sugar-beet Delivery and of the Wheat Delivery Committees. For a number of years, Mr Hajj Hassan worked for the preparation of FAO TCP projects and served as the National Director of a TCP project. He joined FAO in January 2014 as FAO Representative in Yemen. Mr Hajj Hassan succeeds Mr El Zubi as FAO Representative in Iraq.

UN entities involved in this initiative

FAO

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Goals we are supporting through this initiative