Sana’a - Saba:
Fares Al-Kahali, Deputy Governor of Sana’a for Services Sector, emphasized the importance of encouraging and supporting farmers to enhance agricultural productivity, particularly in cereal crops.
His remarks came during a field day for vegetable farmers in Hamdan District, organized by the Small and Micro Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDA) of the Social Fund for Development (SFD). The event was funded and supported by the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), under the supervision of the Agricultural Sector in the province.
Al-Kahali highlighted the need to develop and improve agricultural extension programs to educate farmers on best practices and modern techniques that help reduce costs and increase production rates. He praised the farmers' engagement with project officials and their cooperation in implementing various agricultural production programs.
For his part, Ali Al-Qiri, head of the Agricultural Sector in the governorate, commended the farmers' interaction, stressing the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water Resources, and local authorities' commitment to developing agricultural infrastructure by supporting farmers to achieve self-sufficiency.
He also appreciated the support of the SFD, SMEDA, and all partners involved in implementing the project, which targets 60 farmers in the Wadi’ah area of Hamdan District.
Fahd Attiya, Director of Hamdan District, noted the local authority and agricultural sector’s dedication to farmers, in line with the directives of the Revolution Leader and the Supreme Political Council to support farmers and facilitate agricultural development.
Meanwhile, Abdulrahman Al-Akhram, Cash-for-Work Program Officer at SFD, Bashir Al-Azib, Livelihood Improvement Supervisor, and Mansour Sanad, Head of the Project’s Community Committee, explained that the "Integrated Development Interventions" project under the Second Additional Financing for the Social Protection Enhancement Project in Hamdan District aims to support 60 small-scale vegetable farmers in Breesh and Dharhan villages.
The project provides technical guidance for vegetable production using modern agricultural techniques, including modern irrigation systems, agricultural inputs, and advanced methods, covering a quarter-hectare per farmer in areas known for irrigated vegetable farming from sustainable wells in Wadi’ah. The total project cost is $120,000, covering 15 hectares.
Additionally, the project includes interventions such as rehabilitating ponds, dams, irrigation channels, and terraces in Dharhan and Al-Lakmah villages under the Cash-for-Work component, costing $255,000.
The initiative seeks to contribute to food security, improve livelihoods, introduce modern agricultural inputs and techniques, reduce production and irrigation costs, minimize crop losses, increase vertical production per unit area, and enhance farmers' income.
Officials praised the support of the agricultural sector and local authorities in Hamdan, as well as the farmers' cooperation in ensuring the project’s success.
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