Supporting Olive Farmers in Northern Aleppo

Olive cultivation has played a crucial role in the Syrian economy for years making it an integral part the country's agricultural and cultural heritage. However, the Olive cultivation industry has been severely impacted by the crisis as is the case with other vital crops in the Agriculture sector in Syria. Consequently, the reduction in olive production has had a negative effect on both food security and economic growth in the region.

To address this issue, the Syria Recovery Trust Fund (SRTF) launched an agriculture project to enhance olive productivity-supporting agricultural services and promote market-led, high-value olive chains in areas of operation across Northern Aleppo. This project; “Supporting Olive Farmers in Northern Aleppo”, also aims to revive the concept of agricultural cooperatives and contribute towards food security and economic growth in the targeted areas.

The project is expected to:

• Enhance the investment of lands planted with olive trees, expand olive cultivation, and introduce new varieties of high-quality olive crops.
• Support olive farmers with the necessary services to decrease production costs.
• Enhance the general environmental conditions due to eliminating the random use of fertilisers and pesticides while introducing new fertilisation technologies.

This will be done by implementing the following activities:             

• Establishing and supporting three Olive Farmer Associations (OFAs).
• Supporting primary production activities and assisting 1,000 farmers in carrying out agricultural activities related to olive production.
• Providing 1,000 farmers with improved access to quality inputs such as seedlings, fertilisers, pesticides, equipment, picking kits and pruning kits.
• Employing pesticide spraying campaigns to effectively control pests and diseases.
• Establishing two olive nurseries equipped with modern facilities, to provide high-quality olive saplings to expand olive cultivation.
• Equipping 1,000 farmers with the knowledge and skills, including adopting good agriculture practices and Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) techniques, necessary to protect and sustain olive production.
• Giving 600 farmers the opportunity to participate in exchange sessions, to enable them to learn from each other’s successes and challenges, fostering a strong community of olive farmers.
• Giving 150 farmers the opportunity to participate in production exhibitions and competitions, thereby, promoting the local olive industry while also providing a platform for farmers to gain recognition and reward for their hard work.

This is anticipated to:

• Provide a platform for farmers to come together, share knowledge and collaborate on issues related to olive production.
• Promote olive growing.
• Enhance the capacity of farmers and facilitate the development of sustainable olive farming practices.
• Improve the quality of yield and enable farmers to efficiently harvest their olives while maintaining the health of the trees thereby enhancing productivity.

With a total budget of around EUR 1.89 million, this project is expected to directly benefit 1,000 farmers and their 5,000 family members indirectly, over a period of 18 months, which includes six months for post-implementation monitoring and evaluation.

For more information on this project, please see:

The SRTF’s Management Committee (MC) Approves Four New Projects and Interventions under the Agriculture, Health and Livelihoods Sectors

For more information on the SRTF visit:

http://www.srtfund.org

Media outlets may contact:

communications@srtfund.org