Italian Cooperation - Gerusalemme

NEWSLETTER n.8Emergency:€ 1.6 million Italian EmergencyInterventions in Agricultureto alleviate hardships to the Palestinian farmers.Humanitarian relief in the West Bank can not disregard thesupport to Agriculture, the primary sector for the livelihood offamilies and communities in the rural villages of the West Bankand Jordan Valley.For this reason the Italian Cooperation set in its emergencyagenda significant agricultural interventions, for a total amountof nearly €1.6 million, to improve the social and economic conditionsof farmers by contributing to improve the productioncapacity of their lands and livestock, and the quality of theirproducts.In September 2007, Italy contributed € 2.6 Million for 12 multi-sectoremergency initiatives aimed at supporting the Palestinian people inWest Bank and East Jerusalem. Six of the 12 projects with a totalvalue of € 930.000 will directly contribute to the revitalization of thePalestinian Economy through assistance to the agricultural sector.These projects are under direct implementation by the Italian CooperationOffice in Jerusalem in partnership with Italian NGOs.In November 2007, Italy contributed an additional amount of €650.000 to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) asan emergency grant to support small ruminant farmers in theEastern slopes of the West Bank and Jordan Valley, to maintainthe productivity of their flocks.All these agricultural emergency projects, intervene for the benefitof farmers and breeders, including Bedouin communities, trying tominimize and mitigate the consequences of the Wall and other obstaclesand restrictions on the Palestinian economy and people.The NGO UCODEP is extending support to local breeders andBedouin communities by the construction of a Farming ExperimentStation in Tubas, in the Northern Highlands of the Jordan Valley toPag. 7