FAO Holds Knowledge-Sharing Sessions for Iranian Farmers

The knowledge-sharing sessions were conducted by FAO in Orumiyeh in collaboration with the Iranian government and under the auspices of Japan in order to help the farmers acquire the knowledge of new farming methods and proven agricultural practices intended to increase water productivity.

Eying to increase resilience in the agricultural sector, the sessions included presentation of successful international experiences in agriculture in the similar climate conditions of the pilot site. These experiences can be used by farmers, assisting them to comprehend how to improve climate-resilient practices in agriculture.

Benefiting from different experiences of other farmers in the world, the local farmers were equipped with different scenarios for improving the cultivation system, irrigation, and value chain. Based in Balanej Dehestan in Orumiyeh, the initiative has provided feasible alternatives for the current farming methods in the region.

“Since 2016, FAO has supported the Orumiyeh Lake Restoration Programme (ULRP) agency with technical advice and sharing of international best practices in water accounting, drought management, and socio-economic analyses,” Aziz Elbehri, senior economist at FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, and the project lead technical officer said.

The project focuses on farmer level technologies that lead to improvement of water productivity, increase yields, and sustain farmers’ income, Elbehri added, noting that learning from different countries’ experiences will “enable the Iranian farmers to adapt these technologies to their local conditions, speed up their mastery, and facilitate acceptance.”

“Agricultural education and extension are the best ways leading to empowering stakeholders. Benefiting from the agricultural extension, the farmers will be equipped with modern technologies and scientific methods,” Coordination Manager of Agricultural Extension Management Bita Ahmadian said.

She stated that “the farmers who adopt and manage their farms based on the new findings, certainly will have higher performance rather than those who farm in demonstration site.”

“Sharing different experiences by leading farmers to improve other colleagues’ development skills is one of the focuses of the Ministry of Agriculture. Benefiting from the lessons learned from other farmers, this method becomes much more effective rather than a theoretical alternative,” Ahmadian added.

FAO, acting as the lead UN agency dedicated to increasing the resilience of agricultural livelihoods and food systems, continues to work closely with partners to build inclusive, resilient, and sustainable societies.

FAO extends its support to member countries to adopt a system-wide approach to unlock the potential of innovation, linking network of actors together with supporting policies and institutions to harness new technologies in responding to the emerging needs and challenges.