The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded an initial five million dollars to technical consulting firm Development Alternatives (DAI) to carry out agricultural development in Iraq.
The agreement falls under the framework of the year-long Agriculture Reconstruction and Development Program for Iraq (ARDI). The program is designed to support Iraqi initiatives to revitalize agricultural production, stimulate income and employment generation through agro-enterprise and market development, nurture rural financial services, and rehabilitate the natural resource base.
ARDI will rehabilitate, strengthen, and modernize the agriculture system in post-conflict Iraq in two phases. The first phase will run three months, focusing on quick-impact activities to stimulate agricultural production and contribute to food security. Emergency needs will be identified and critical agricultural inputs supplied, including seeds, fertilizer, and irrigation equipment for the upcoming planting season.
The second phase will run for eight months, focusing on longer-term rehabilitation and sustainability of Iraq’s agriculture program.
USAID will provide a range of technical assistance, financial services, training, and equipment to improve management of soil and water resources, reinvigorate local markets, stimulate agro-enterprise development, and increase trade and investment in agriculture. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
