The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation has teamed up with the Slow Food movement to organise a study tour this week in northwest Italy for a group of small-scale women farmers from war-torn Syria, FAO said in a statement on Tuesday.
The two organizations have teamed up to enhance the skills of small-scale women food producers from Syria - all with the aim of supporting crisis-affected communities to regain or boost their livelihoods, and reviving the country's agriculture sector, the statement said.
Seven women from western, central and southern Syria will learn from farming communities in the Piedmont and Liguria regions that produce and promote local, organic and artisan foods marked by high quality and respect for traditions, the statement added.
The Syrian women are expected to gain knowledge on all aspects of production, marketing and value chains of a range of products - including dairy, honey, oil, cereals, breads and vegetables - and to pass on this knowledge to other women farmers in their communities upon their return, according to the statement.
The women will also be included in the global Slow Food network of local farmers so that they can continue learning and sharing knowledge and experiences, said the statement.
The Syrian women come from Homs, Hama, Lattakia, Tartous, Aleppo, Sweida and Al-Qunatra governorates, and each produces one type of local food from of their village - from dried figs to honey.
They women either own a small plot of land (less than half hectare), growing food for their family's consumption and/or are engaged in activities such as making jams, pickles, tomato paste, cheese and other food products to support their families.
"We are honoured to accompany these Syrian farmers to visit our producers and Presidia," said Nazarena Lanza, Slow Food Area Coordinator.
"We would like to build on this partnership and organize other workshops to improve the production of foods in semi-arid areas by using agro-ecological practices. Years of conflict, climate change, and decades of monocultures have led to serious declines in biodiversity and the loss of expertise to engage in sustainable agriculture," added Lanza.
The Slow Food projects help artisan food producers and farmers all over the world to safeguard their food and agricultural heritage. The Syrian women will meet farmers from six such projects focused on producing: butter (in the high Elvo Valley), extra-virgin olive oil, high mountain honey, Robiola cheese, Sambucano lamb and Vessalico garlic.
""This initiative is part of FAO's wider efforts to boost the country's agriculture and improve food security for a population that has been through a lot, and is determined to pick up the pieces and get back on their feet," said Mike Robson, FAO Representative in Syria.
Eight years of civil war have devastated Syria's agriculture and created an unbalanced labour force. In many cases, women have become sole breadwinners and have turned to agriculture - often the only means to earn an income and support their families.
"We hope this study tour will help Syrian women learn both technical and entrepreneurial skills, and gradually turn their products from home-made to artisanal, which also means selling them to wider markets," said Patrizia Epifania, Programme Officer with FAO Syria who is accompanying the Syrian women on the tour.
Prior to the Syrian conflict, agriculture was a male-dominated field, which means that women now face a number of challenges, FAO said.
They women farmers often lack knowledge of market requirements, have limited farming skills and experience in producing and marketing their foods, and lack access to information about funding and training opportunities, FAO underlined.
"We are using primitive equipment that we have had since we were young. We want to grow our business by using modern equipment for packaging as well as moisture and acidity measurements so we can make products that meet global standards. Our figs have high nutritional value, and are 100 percent natural and rain-fed," said Afaf Jafaar.
Jafaar, a mother of five, grows and dries figs - the only fruit available in her village - and is one of the Syrian women on the study tour in Italy.
Aicha Dalati, a beekeeper from Aleppo city who had to flee because of the conflict after losing all her hives, has restarted her life and livelihood in a nearby village and is also part of the study tour. She says she is limited to selling her honey locally.
"Transportation is a challenge. Also the fact that I don't get to see a profit immediately as I receive the payments in instalments. If I can sell my products properly, my life will be better," said Dalati.
"I want to learn from the Italian farmers and see how I can develop my business," she added.
FAO is supporting rural women producers and their communities in Syria to become more resilient by helping increase their food production and improve their entrepreneurial skills. FAO provides them with good quality inputs like seeds and fertilisers and training on sustainable agriculture and marketing. The agency also sets up irrigation system and creates and strengthens women producers' and water users' groups, reinforcing women's roles at a time when they are shouldering a lot of responsibilities.
Slow Food is a global network of local communities founded in 1989 to prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions and counteract the rise of fast food culture. Since its founding, Slow Food has grown into a global movement involving millions of people in over 160 countries.
Slow Food has set up a local chapter and ten school gardens in Syria and aims to build a wider network in other Arab countries.
