Iran, FAO Launch Joint Program to Help Afghan Refugees
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Bureau of Aliens and Foreign Immigrants’ Affairs, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and World Food Programme established a greenhouse in Semnan province, located around 220 km east of capital Tehran, to help Afghan refugees.
Financially and technically supported by FAO, the greenhouse would enable the Afghan refugees to generate income through agricultural practices.
“The selected refugees will gradually be empowered to manage the greenhouse independently. They will be advised, and equipped with necessary skill to cultivate various ornamental and edible plants in the greenhouse," said Hooman Moezzi, FAO Programme Consultant.
He further said that “greenhouse cultivation will allow the refugees to have higher control on growth conditions and produce off-season products based on the periodic market demand.”
FAO, as a UN specialized agency, leads efforts to defeat hunger, improve nutrition, increase agricultural productivity, raise the standard of living in rural populations and contribute to economic growth.
Iran hosts nearly a million Afghan refugees. Approximately 97% of these refugees live in urban and semi-urban areas, while the remaining 3% reside in 20 refugee settlements located throughout the country.