Southern Regional Agricultural Development Project - Phase II

Southern Regional Agricultural Development Project - Phase II

The second phase of the project built on the experiences of first phase of the Southern Regional Agricultural Project and was oriented towards land reclamation. It resulted in the de-rocking of 32,000 ha of land. The project area was expanded beyond Dara’a and Sweida provinces to include the province of Quneitra and rural Damascus.

By reclaiming land for agriculture and by supporting crop and livestock production the project enabled poor farmers to improve their incomes and living standards. Activities included a focus on literacy courses and training in marketing skills for rural women.

Small producers benefited from credit from the Agricultural Cooperative Bank for the purchase of dairy cattle, sheep and Shami dairy goats. The project successfully promoted income-generating activities such as rural poultry and honey production and small-scale cheese processing.

Like the project that preceded it, this initiative resulted in the reversal of a trend towards migration from rural to urban areas.

Source: IFAD