Small Ruminants Project gains pace with the official participation of Turkmenistan
Ashgabat – FAO and the Government of Turkmenistan signed an agreement on 11 December 2021 for the joint implementation of a project entitled “Improving the efficiency of small ruminant production to reduce GHG emission intensity”. The official ceremony took place on Turkmenistan Neutrality Day. The agreement was signed on behalf of FAO by Viorel Gutu, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Central Asia, and on behalf of the Government of Turkmenistan by Allanur Altyev, Minister of Agriculture and Environment Protection.
Targeting Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, the project, which is being implemented under the umbrella of the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture, (FTPP II), aims to increase capacities to analyse and improve the efficiency of small ruminant production systems in each participating country and the Central Asian subregion as a whole. The project will also establish innovative approaches to knowledge transfer for livestock holders such as Farmers Field Schools and direct coaching of farmers by national and international experts.
Throughout its planned 36-month duration (up to April 2024), within the scope of the project development agents will be equipped with essential knowledge and skills, with particular attention paid to the involvement of women and youth.
The project will also benefit the development of the livestock sector in Turkmenistan in particular and the subregion in general, and will contribute to the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land).
About the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programmes
The objectives of the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programmes are to provide support to ensure food security, rural poverty reduction and sustainable forest management; combat desertification; and preserve ecosystems in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as other countries of mutual interest.
Established in 2007, the first phase of the FAO Turkey Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture (FTPP) has benefitted from trust fund contributions totalling USD 10 million, financed by the Government of Turkey and represented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. During the first phase of the programme, 28 projects were implemented in 16 countries between 2009 and 2015.
In 2014, Turkey and FAO commenced the second phase of the FTPP along with the first phase of the FAO-Turkey Forestry Partnership Programme (FTFP) with additional funding of USD 20 million, bringing Turkey’s total contribution to USD 30 million.
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