Another 684 small farms in Serbia – this time in the area surrounding Loznica – are getting practical help to recover their livelihoods after devastating spring floods. Each household today received 320 kilos of animal feed, from trucks carrying a total of 219 tonnes.

In close cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, the Office for Reconstruction and Flood Relief, and local governments, FAO has developed 23 different agricultural packages that aim to respond to the needs of about 15 000 small-scale farms whose livelihoods were affected by the flooding. Winter crop seeds and fertilizers, fruit seedlings, animal feed, agricultural equipment and greenhouses, livestock, and other items will be delivered to beneficiary farmers in the coming months.

The first tranche of livelihood assistance for the agriculture sector, in the form of animal feed, is financed by the European Union, the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the Government of Belgium, and FAO’s own resources. The current support is assisting a total of 6 800 farming families in 24 municipalities.

“We would like to express our sincere thanks to FAO and the United Nations as a whole for providing us with this assistance, which is very time-critical for our small farmers for sustaining their livestock,” said Ranka Zivanovic Markovic, Assistant Mayor of Loznica city.

Also present for the feed distribution was UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia Irena Vojackova Sollorano. “On behalf of the United Nations and FAO, I would like to thank also the Serbian Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection and the Floods Office for their coordination and technical support,” she said. “I am glad that assistance has reached Loznica and hope that the farmers are a little more relieved knowing that this assistance has reached them."

Dejan Bugarski, Chief Veterinary Officer of Serbia, also addressed the gathering at Loznica: “Being a livestock person, I understand very well what this assistance means to a small farmer in rural Serbia.”

12 September 2014, Loznica, Serbia