Cairo, Egypt – The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region is working to provide small-scale family farmers with the needed knowledge to overcome challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, including, on one hand, safety procedures and hygiene regulations, and on the other hand, accessing markets and crop selection.

FAO has produced a series of videos with different awareness raising messages to be distributed to farmers digitally, for example, through Whatsapp, in order to reach farmers quickly and easily, while maintaining social distancing.

Small-scale family farmers play an enormous role in food security and the economy. In the NENA region – and the world – families in rural areas own most farms and provide the vast majority of food in markets. With the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of family farmers has become even more important to ensure that markets have a steady flow of food.

Source: FAO Regional Office for Near East and North Africa