Support to Livestock Farmers in Ar-Raqqa Governorate – Phase II

Prior to the Syrian crisis, livestock production accounted for 35%-40% of the country’s total agricultural production and around one-third of agricultural exports. Given the ongoing conflict, however, services related to livestock and crops as well as the provision of technical skills at vocational schools have collapsed, leading to a drastic decrease in production.

These coupled with the lack of economic resources for farmers and breeders have posed a great challenge to their lives, especially given the depreciation of the Syrian currency and the increase in the prices of raw materials and fodder, thereby, increasing production costs on them and forcing many breeders to sell their livestock, losing their main sources of income.

The SRTF has therefore implemented various types of interventions within the agriculture sector in Northeast Syria, in support of livestock and their breeders, throughout the last ten years.

Moreover, building on the successful outcomes of Phase I, Phase II of the “Support to Livestock Farmers in Ar-Raqqa Governorate” intervention aims to enhance livestock breeders’ and their households’ economic conditions as well as improve food security in Ar-Raqqa eastern area through the increase in livestock production and improvement in economic resources.

This intervention is expected to:

• Enable cooperatives to continue assisting their members through the provision of inputs and services.
• Improve the capacity of veterinarians and technicians so they can assist cooperatives, breeders and farmers.
• Establish a new Syrian Agriculture-Veterinary Association consisting of local technicians able to provide services related to agriculture and livestock, as well as technical assistance to farmers and breeders. The Association will also continue providing such services following the closure of the intervention.

This will be done by implementing the following in coordination with the Implementing Entity:

• Providing livestock and veterinary inputs to 3,800 livestock breeders using the Cost Recovery approach.
• Supporting existing veterinarian clinics and laboratories thereby reinforcing the provision of services. This includes the vaccination of 75,000 livestock.
• Setting up two new mobile clinics and improving one clinic previously established under Phase I.
• Training 80 local technicians, agronomists, veterinarians, laboratory technicians and breeders on the use of inputs to improve livestock productivity.

This is anticipated to result in the following:

• Continuing the distribution of livestock and veterinary inputs to livestock breeders through the Cooperatives and strengthening the provision of services in three veterinary clinics and laboratories and one mobile clinic set up in Phase I in addition to two new mobile clinics which will be established under this phase.
• Improving veterinarians’ capacities and skills that are related to laboratory analysis, disease diagnosis, treatment, smart agriculture and so on.
• Improving technicians’ capacities and skills related to Remote Technical Assistance (RTA) methodology, which they will convey to breeders through meetings, seminars and brochures, thereby, further benefiting local communities.
• Embedding smart agriculture in technicians’ and breeders’ daily routines, especially as a weather station will be set up in each clinic and laboratory to monitor the local climate to aid in such matters. This is not only useful for preventing diseases from spreading among livestock, but it is also useful for crop management.
• Ensuring sustainability through the establishment of the Agriculture-Veterinarian Association, which will provide the necessary skills and services to local breeders and technicians, appropriate for long-term use, focusing on the management of clinics and provision of services.
• Ensuring sustainability through the implementation of the Cost Recovery approach, whereby, breeders pay their share for the agricultural inputs they use, thereby, enabling the intervention to serve even more beneficiaries.
• Creating employment opportunities.
• Reducing production costs for livestock breeders.

With a budget of around EUR 1.8 million, this intervention is expected to directly benefit 3,800 livestock breeders and their 19,400 family members indirectly across 44 cooperatives (22 from Phase I and 22 new ones) over a period of 12 months, including a two-month inception phase, in east Ar-Raqqa. Additionally, members of the communities across the entire area where the intervention is implemented will benefit through increased food and financial security resulting from the intervention.

For more information about this intervention, visit:

An SRTF Agriculture Intervention Delivers Fodder, Medication, and Vaccines to Livestock Breeders in Ar-Raqqa

The SRTF Steering Board & Management Committee Extend the SRTF’s Mission for an Additional Two Years and Approve a New Agriculture Intervention

Support to Livestock Farmers in Ar-Raqqa Governorate – Phase

For more information on the SRTF visit:

http://www.srtfund.org

Media outlets may contact:

communications@srtfund.org