Experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concluded   their six-day mission (lasting from 10 to 16 November 2014) to Iran, which included a field visit project sites in Khuzestan Province, within the framework of a regional water management project in the lower Mesopotamia countries covering Iran, Iraq and Syria.

During the field visit, the FAO delegation accompanied by FAO Representative to the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr. Serge Nakouzi assessed the irrigation and drainage networks as well as the water resources management approaches being applied by farmers in Hamidia district, which is located 35 kilometers north-west of Ahwaz. The FAO team met and conducted discussions with local officials, community leaders and farmers as well as with national project teams from the Ministry of Jihad-Agriculture and representatives from the Department of the Environment and the Ministry of Energy.

“Carrying out a rapid analysis of the current situation with regards to water productivity, water management, water quality and drainage at farm level in the pilot site were among our objectives in visiting Hamidia” said the FAO Project Manager, Faycel Chenini. Mr. Chenini underscored that conducting a comprehensive assessment was key to presenting evidence- based interventions aimed at promoting an integrated approach for best managing agricultural water in the pilot site were also considered as the main targets of his team for visiting Iran. 

In a separate meeting with the FAO Experts, Mr. Keykhosro Changelvaee, Head of the Jihad-e-Agriculture Organization of Khuzestan province noted the significance of the agriculture sector for the province and pointed out that the main challenges faced were water scarcity and the optimal utilization of existing water resources. In this regard, he welcomed FAO’s intervention and underlined the important contribution that FAO could lend the Province through the provision of its technical expertise to reduce these challenges in a sustainable manner.

“The Iranian Government attributes particular importance to improving and managing the country’s irrigation and drainage networks, targeting in this context those farms located in the Khuzestan province” Mr. Changelvaee added.

During the meeting Mr. Serge Nakouzi also expressed the readiness of FAO as the UN Specialized Agency mandated to deal with sustainable water management issues, by saying that we need to develop a more comprehensive and holistic approach to address water scarcity both in the country and at the regional level.