Women in Kyrgyzstan receive dairy cows and agricultural machinery
Fifty-four pregnant “Ala-Tau” heifers were handed over to rural women in the region of Issyk-Kul last month.
© FAO
The women — a group of single mothers each with at least two children under 18 years of age — were chosen from among those participating in rural self-help groups. Provision of the livestock, together with several units of agricultural machinery, was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Government of Switzerland, and represented a key milestone in the FAO project for “Sustainable Agricultural Development of the Issyk-Kul Region.”
Next steps include training and technical assistance in cultivating fodder crops for some 400 members of the rural self-help groups, including 286 women. The aim is to increase feed availability and to improve dairy farming in the region: fed with nutrient-rich feed, the milking cows are expected to increase family incomes and contribute to food security, rural development, and sustainable livelihoods in the region.
The handover event was attended by representatives of the Embassy of Switzerland in Kyrgyzstan, the country’s Ministry of Agriculture, provincial and local governments, and FAO.