Peshawar: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) distributed seed packages to approximately 76,935 subsistence farmers for the year 2018-2019. The recipients included recently returned families of five tribal districts of Khyber, Kurram, North Waziristan, South Waziristan, and the Orakzai District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The package included certified wheat, peas, and fodder (Berseem). Relevant stakeholders and the green sector’s line departments were also on board for the distribution drive.
FAO Deputy Representative Farrukh Toirov reiterated the organization’s commitment to support men and women farmers in KP, and said ‘’We are confident that our support to agriculture communities in tribal districts of KP will not only help improve food security and nutrition for farmers and their families, but also improve household income in the area. We will continue to provide support such as trainings for building capacity in order to promote sustainable agriculture in KP and its tribal districts.’’
The assistance was provided under Critical Emergency Response Fund (CERF) USAID, DFID and JICA. The program aims to assist farmers in need to revitalize their agriculture livelihoods, increase their income through agriculture, development of livestock value chain, and agriculture enterprise development. Rehabilitation of irrigation infrastructure is also a component of the program, which will contribute to increased water availability for improved and diversified crop production.