Supporting 3,580 rural women in Basra, Maysan and Thi Qar with dairy value chain development equipment

During the celebrations, the new equipment was distributed in the governorates of Maysan, Dhi Qar and Basra, in the presence of the Technical Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Mithaq Al-Khafaji, FAO Representative, Salah ElHajj Hassan, representatives of the Ministry of Planning, the Women Empowerment Department of the Iraqi Council of Ministers, the Director General of the Department of Environmental Protection and Improvement in the Southern Region, the local governments, and a number of female farmers.

Empowering Rural Women

The dairy value chain development equipment to support rural women in southern Iraq will empower 3,580 rural women in the dairy sector in the three governorates, with 1,180 rural women in nine administrative units in Maysan Governorate, 1,250 rural women in three administrative units in Basra Governorate, and 1,150 rural women in two administrative units in Dhi Qar Governorate. The women will use the equipment to transport and store approximately 160,000 liters of milk per day.

“These activities are part of broader efforts to empower 25,834 rural households in Basra, Dhi Qar, and Maysan, where women make up the majority of beneficiaries, which contributes to achieving significant development in improving the quality of milk and dairy products, increasing production, and economically empowering rural women, which enhances food security and opens new horizons for sustainable development in southern Iraq,” said Salah ElHaj Hassan during the ceremony.

“Supporting and empowering rural women by providing them with the necessary skills and modern equipment to produce dairy products and other small agricultural projects through FAO, contributes significantly to enhancing food security efforts in Iraq, and leads to improving the economic conditions in rural communities and creating more job opportunities. We are pleased to cooperate with FAO in such efforts within deep and long-term partnership,” said Dr. Mithaq Al-Khafaji, Technical Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture.

The FAO-EU-funded project entitled “Restoration and Strengthening the Resilience of Agri-food Systems in Southern Iraq” is being implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and local partners. This initiative aims to support smallholder farmers and communities in adapting to climate challenges while improving agricultural productivity and livelihoods.

For more information, please contact: 

Reem AlSadoon/ FAO Iraq Communications Assistant

reem.alsadoon@fao.org 

Dr.Salah ElHajj Hassan/ FAO Iraq Representative

salah.elhajjhassan@fao.org