FAO, Agriculture Ministry launch a training workshop on agricultural reality

DAMASCUS, (ST) – The United Nations Organization for Agriculture and Food, (FAO) in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture launched on Thursday at the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus a workshop to train a group of agronomist from various provinces on a sophisticated technical program that enable them to analyze the agricultural situation and provide real data on the extent of the damage and losses sustained during the crisis.

In a statement to local press, the Representative of United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

in Syria Eriko Hebiclarified that the FAO has set up many training workshops during the last period in order to “give a realistic glimpse about the losses suffered by the agricultural sector during the crisis and knowing the requirements and needs that must be met and the emphasis that the agricultural production continues in Syria despite the war”.

In a similar statement, a technical official in the Rehabilitation and Emergency Department affiliated at FAO, Neal Mars Land, pointed out that the training program depends on the adoption of new technology used for the first time in Syria, through the adoption of an electronic board named Tab, whereas the trainee, by the Tab, can collect and analyze data from different areas and cover all the provinces quickly.

 “The program will enable trainees to collect data at the household level through going to their areas, meet with farmers and families and look at the reality and suffering in a way that enable the concerned bodies at the organizations of taking a realistic and true picture of the impact of the crisis on the agricultural situation” Land said.

Some 50 trainees from the provinces of Homs, Hama, Tartous, Lattaki, Hassaka, Idleb, Sweida, Damascus, Quneitra, Qamishli and Deir Ezzour took part in the program. The trainee, Lena salameh, at the National Agricultural Policy Centre explained that the training course will enable us to gather information in a sophisticated and technician style that saves time and effort, allows us to move freely through a simple, accurate and concise questions.

Sh. Kh.