FAO Representative visiting a vineyard in Alborz province

Following his recent meeting with the Head of the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation (IKRF), Mr. Serge Nakouzi, the FAO Representative to the Islamic Republic of Iran, travelled  to Alborz province on 3 September 2014 to visit field activities supported by the Foundation that are focused on improving livelihoods and empowering rural local communities.

Mr. Nakouzi was accompanied on this occasion by the Director-General of Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation in Alborz Province, Mr. Ali Salarkia and his Deputy in Self-Sufficiency Affairs, Dr. Rezaei.  The visit enabled the FAO Representative to observe the significant manner in which small grants made by the IKRF were impacting the livelihoods of farmers as well as helping individuals to rise from poverty by assisting them in promoting peri-urban agricultural practices.

The activities visited included a greenhouse of horticultural and ornamental plant production in the suburbs of Karaj as well as a vineyard in the Hashtgerd area of Alborz.

The greenhouse established and managed by Ms. Eskandari in Karaj provided an outstanding example of how individuals could derive great benefits from small grants to create a successful activity,  generate income and employment, improve the livelihood of their local community and transfer knowledge to others. As a result of the assistance lent by IKRF, Ms. Eskandari was able to convert a small parcel of inherited land measuring 20 square meters into a greenhouse of 200 square meters, where she cultivates and raises a variety of plant species, including specialized types of Cacti, which are displayed in flower exhibitions and sold through the Tehran Central Flower Market to different parts of the country. Ms. Eskandari has in turn had several apprentices working with her, to whom she bestowed her knowledge and experience and some of whom have in turn set up their own greenhouses and are presently running their won successful business.

The vineyards in Hashtgerd provided a noteworthy demonstration of how the combined financial assistance from IKRF and the technical support from agricultural experts of the Ministry of Jihad-e-Agriculture could contribute to transform a local fruit garden that had been cultivated primarily for personal consumption into an expanded grape production activity.

These activities highlighted how the appropriate assistance to local communities and individuals could contribute towards curbing rural to urban migration by generating employment opportunities, fostering growth in rural economies empowering women in the agriculture sector, and notably in and promoting the sustainable livelihood of rural communities.

The Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation (IKRF) has already 7,500 active plans in the Alborz province, 13% of which is in the field of agriculture and animal husbandry.

At the end of the field visit, it was reaffirmed that a Memorandum of Understanding will be concluded between FAO and IKRF as the overall framework for future collaboration in the field of agriculture and rural development.