FAO empowers 40 extension officers to promote Agroecology and Marshland Conservation for SLM in southern Iraq

The training held under the project on "Sustainable Land Management (SLM) for Improved Livelihoods in Degraded Areas of Iraq," funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by FAO in partnership with MoE, MoA, MoWR as well as local governments, aimed to empower 40 extension officers from ThiQar and AlMuthanna governorates to facilitate extension service to the Sustainable Land Management program, promoting agroecology, marshland conservation, and sustainable farming in southern Iraq.

The trainees serve as facilitators on established 25 Farmer Field Schools (FFS), and demonstration plots under Agroecology practice across ThiQar and Al Muthanna Governorates. They were capacitated and exclusively mandated to support implementation of SLM programming, including agriculture and wetlands in southern Iraq.  

“FAO and key stakeholders promote Agroecology practice which is improving agricultural production qualitatively and quantitatively and bring about positive impacts on multiple SDGs. Additionally, there are environmental benefits ensuing more efficient resource use in the agricultural production and consumption phases of the supply chain, ensuring a lower impact on water resources and landscape ecosystems” said Dr. Salah ElHajj Hassan, FAO Iraq Representative. 

The trained extension officers will cascade the knowledge through training 1 000 farmers to adopt the Agroecology practice and Marshland Conservation for SLM to improve livelihood in wetland areas. Also, the current food system approaches will build on these planned outputs and support a more integrated approach to the multiple objectives of environmental, social and economic development for sustainable agriculture which enhances biodiversity, food security and livelihood restoration.

The importance of mixed farming (vegetable crops, fruit and forest trees) is being demonstrated by FFS under agroecology practice: (i) livelihood economic benefits (crop-tree interactions produce food for home consumption and sale of surplus food, legume forest trees supplement fodder and income) and (ii) environmental benefits (tree root system and tree canopy serve as wind-breaks to combat soil erosion, legume forest trees improve soil fertility, wind-break trees provide a micro-climate to the home garden, and planting trees is a mitigation measure on climate change as trees reduce greenhouse gas from the atmosphere).

The project objective is to reverse land degradation processes, conserve and sustainably manage land and water resources in degraded marshland ecosystems in Southern Iraq for greater access to services from resilient ecosystems and improved livelihoods. It aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). By promoting sustainable land management practices, that will be enhancing local communities’ resilience and contributing to global environmental benefits.