Tehran, Iran, June 9
By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:
In cooperation with FAO, Iran is going to offer its knowhow on agricultural production to developing countries.
FAO Director General José Graziano da Silva and Iranian Agriculture Minister Mahmoud Hojjati signed a contract in Rome on fighting malnutrition and hunger, IRIB news agency reported June 9.
Signing the agreement comes as part of the South-South Cooperation program for improving the agriculture sector in the Middle East and ECO zone.
South-South Cooperation is a term historically used by policymakers and academics to describe the exchange of resources, technology, and knowledge between developing countries, also known as countries of the Global South.
South-South Cooperation has gained prominence in recent years as an innovative approach to development assistance that complements traditional models of development assistance.
The initiative will also aim to support host governments in formulating agricultural development plans and channeling investment to support greater participation by small- and medium-scale farmers in agricultural value chains.
Host countries will also benefit from access to and collaboration with FAO certified Iranian research and training centers that will promote agricultural innovation at a regional, sub-regional and national level.
Hojjati said the agreement aims at educating individuals in the agriculture section.
"Mutually we will also have FAO experts in Iran. The preliminary steps for the plan were taken one year ago," he added.
On June 7 Graziano said he is slated to visit Iran to see the country's agricultural research and scholarly centers.
That day, he presented the Iranian Ministry of Agriculture with a diploma of honor for having reduced the number of Iranians affected by malnutrition to below 5 percent.
Last year, the government distributed food packages for millions of citizens both to help those with low income and to try to lower inflation on food.
Edited by CN
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