Wheat farmers in Ninewa Governorate and other parts of Iraq’s wheat belt rely on selling their crops to the Government for its Public Distribution System – an important social safety net entitling Iraqi citizens to receive rations of flour, rice, sugar and cooking oil from the government.
However the cost of fighting ISIL, as well as low oil prices, saw government austerity measures introduced, including delayed payments for wheat. Unpaid farmers cannot afford agricultural inputs such as fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides, which are important for healthier and higher yielding crops.
The FAO fertilizer distribution, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, came as the winter rains began to fall and farmers started planting. Through providing fertilizer, the FAO project aims increase the income of vulnerable rural households (including smallholder and marginal farmers, agricultural wage earners and returnees to retaken areas) and improve their food and nutrition security, livelihoods and nutrition.
As the Government of Iraq retakes control of more areas, a major effort is needed to support the agriculture sector so that production can resume and livelihoods can be restored. FAO is seeking urgent funding of USD 89 million to strengthen its emergency response, including rehabilitating damaged agricultural infrastructure, supporting farmers to vaccinate and feed their livestock, and expanding cash-for-work and other income-generating activities.
FAO’s work, in coordination with the Iraqi Government, supports families returning to retaken areas, internally displaced families, host communities and refugees from Syria. The fertilizer distribution project was funded through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
(Source: UN)
(Picture: Layth Mahdi)
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