Creating Alternative Livelihoods for Farming Families

In 2017, conflict in Iraq caused new displacements, while other people returned home as areas became safe. At the end of 2017, 2.6 million people remained displaced, and 3.2 million people had returned home since January 2014.

FAO worked with affected communities, focusing on elderly people, people with a disability and families headed by women, to increase access to fresh foods, boost incomes and build skills. Activities both immediately and sustainably improved food security, nutrition, income generation and livelihoods.

FAO supported 2 400 people from 150 villages with backyard poultry production – distributing hens, poultry feeding and drinking equipment, and feed. This enabled each family to produce eggs and poultry meat for their own consumption and for sale.

Further support was provided to conflict-affected families in the form of training, tools and equipment for bee-keeping for honey production, and dairy and fruit processing.

FAO’s cash-for-work programmes provided a valuable source of employment as vulnerable people were paid to clear debris along Ninewa governorate’s Al Jazeera irrigation canals.

The canals provide irrigation water to 250 000 ha of farmland. Cash-for-work programmes were also organized in Kirkuk, Anbar and Salah al Din governorates.

In Ninewa governorate, FAO supported livestock-producing families with animal feed, and commenced an animal health campaign to vaccinate 1 million livestock.