After screening several success cases within these two themes in different countries, Morocco (farmers’ organisations) and Egypt (water management) were chosen as the host countries for the Learning Routes. Six exemplary cases (three per route) were selected. As preparation for the Learning Route, Procasur and ILEIA, supported by local KariaNet...

Drought-like conditions coupled with chronic water shortages due to restricted access of Palestinians to their water resources has been threatening the livelihoods of thousands of poor farming families in the West Bank, especially those dependent on rain-fed crops and livestock as an indispensable supplementary source for their income and food...

Almost 73 million young people in the world are unemployed. This is especially a major challenge in the Arab world. For Hassan Abdul Rahman, the solution was to move to the desert and learn to farm.

This report presents the possibilities of ‘FIGS’, a new technique for searching agricultural genebanks, that helps crop breeders and their managers achieve faster and better targeted pinpointing of improved crops for the future. This approach helps genebank managers, crop breeders, development agencies and donors to improve the effectiveness of crop...

Spurred by the need to create more arable land and produce more food, Egypt's growing population is expanding into the desert. An IFAD-supported project is helping the new settlers reclaim the land and fulfil its productive potential. And by linking farmers to buyers through contract farming, a healthy local economy...

An IFAD supervision mission visited Egypt to supervise the West Noubaria Rural Development Project (WNRDP). The prime objective of the mission was to conduct an in depth assessment of WNRDP implementation progress; propose relevant changes in view of the project winding down phase, and; provide technical assistance and backstopping. The...

This book i is a kaleidoscopic view of a variety of agricultural initiatives taking place in the large country of Sudan. Many of the stories present lessons learnt in activities supported by IFAD, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, and the Ministries of Agriculture and of Livestock in Sudan. The...

This report reviews a case study of farmers’ perceptions of policies and regulations to improve water security in the Jordanian Badia. The aim is to improve water management and conservation by engaging all stakeholders, in particular farmers and rural communities, in this common goal. The research forms part of the...

En Tunisie, l’explosion des besoins en eau (eau potable et irrigation) conduit aujourd’hui à de nombreuses incohérences dans les politiques publiques, principalement liées à la poursuite d’une stratégie de gestion de l’offre, qui génèrent des conflits accrus et une montée des revendications autour de l’eau, surtout depuis la révolution tunisienne...

L'actualité quotidienne nous rappelle en permanence que la situation économique, sociale et politique en Egypte et dans les pays du Maghreb demeure très fragile. L'avenir est lourd d'incertitudes. Les évènements du « printemps arabe » et leurs suites, qui se déroulent actuellement, ont de multiples dimensions et soulèvent de nombreuses...

In the mountainous and arid regions of northwest Syria, water and land resources are under pressure from natural and human-induced forms of land degradation. This has resulted in lower incomes for families dependent on olive farming. This study explores the impact of natural resource management, supported by a micro-credit system,...

The dairy sector in Afghanistan is thriving. Thousands of small farmers are benefiting from an FAO project funded by Italy that is improving the collection, processing and marketing of their milk. Women control almost 90 % of the profits. Milk producers are organized into cooperatives. Demand for milk products is...

Agriculture is a major economic issue in Egypt, although its contribution to the GDP is gradually diminishing. It is evident that rural and agriculture growth is the key element towards reducing poverty, achieving food security and increasing demands for labor. Egypt is facing great challenges regarding its economy in general,...

This report presents the findings of the socioeconomic, dairy processing and marketing conditions of women in four communities in the Karak Governorate of Jordan. It is part of a project targeting rural women that develops and pilot tests technological and institutional options for improving the small-scale processing and marketing of...

This document presents an overview of the water and agriculture situation in Egypt. It is a compilation of four background papers on farm-level water-management opportunities and challenges in the old lands, new lands, and reclaimed/salt-affected  lands of Egypt. In addition it considers the technical, institutional, and policy aspects of the...

This document contains the report of the Seventh Meeting of the Regional Commission for Fisheries (RECOFI) Working Group on Fisheries Management (WGFM), which was held in Kuwait City, the State of Kuwait, from 5 to 7 November 2013. The WGFM addressed and made decisions on matters concerning relevant follow-up to...

Agricultural mechanization is a crucial input to agricultural crop production. It is frequently very capital intensive, compared to other (usually annual) inputs and it has repercussions on the efficiency of all other inputs used in crop production, including seeds, fertilizer, water, and time/labour. It is also much more complex in...

This working paper summarizes the findings of the socioeconomic component of the research project Improved livelihoods of small-scale farmers in Iraq through integrated pest management and use of organic fertilizer, that was managed by ICARDA and funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Ministry of Agriculture...

The overall goal of the project is to enhance family food security for subsistence farmers, raise incomes and improve the living conditions and development participation of small households and village communities in the project area. The specific objectives of the project are to: i) empower communities, including women and the poor,...

The nomadic pastoralist system in Baft district in Kerman province is well known in Iran for producing cashmere from Raeini goats. However, there is little information on the production system. Interviews were carried out with 30 Siahjel nomad families of Raen origin in proximity of about 20 km to Baft...