Northeast Syria – Thursday, 22 May 2025 – The delivery of training sessions provided under Phases I and II of "Supporting Potato Farmers in Ar-Raqqa and Deir-ez-Zor Governorates" has been completed.
A total of 641 potato farmers, including 24 women, participated in 23 training sessions covering key agricultural practices such as land preparation, irrigation, fertiliser use, pesticide application, and safe handling procedures. Notably, they were led by SRTF field coordinators, who had previously been trained by experts.
Under Phase II, farmers also received pesticides, pesticide spraying equipment and personal protective equipment, including gloves, masks, boots and suits.
Muhannad, a farmer beneficiary participating in the training, said: “I attended the training provided by the SRTF and benefitted a great deal in terms of topics including irrigation methods, planting and preparing the land before harvest. The training was very successful as it taught me aspects I was not aware of, including spraying and using fertilisers; how much water we are supposed to include, how far from the plant do we have to spray, when to use sprayers and fertilisers, and so on. This will definitely help us increase our harvest.”
Ahmad, another participant, stated: “The trainers delivered training sessions on a wide range of topics, including how to plant the crop, the use of fertilisers and their different types, how and when to spray pesticides and their different varieties, and how to protect ourselves, as farmers, during spraying. The most important one for us is how to use pesticides and how to choose the right pesticides. We now know we need to wear the personal protective equipment while planting and spraying our lands.”
Abdelkarim also said: “We benefitted a lot [from the training] regarding how to prepare the land, the purpose of using fertilisers, the use of pesticides, how to harvest, how to sell the potatoes in local markets, and so on. We now have the knowledge to plant potatoes effectively. The trainers were professional and very helpful.”
The combination of training sessions with the delivery of agricultural inputs and equipment only empowers farmers to increase their harvest and income, as their technical skills, knowledge, and capacity improve. This will, in turn, contribute to securing increased food security levels in Ar-Raqqa and Deir-ez-Zor governorates, while improving farmers’ livelihoods and living conditions, revitalising the local economy and ensuring sustainability within households and communities.
For more information about this project, please visit:
Supporting Potato Farmers in Ar-Raqqa and Deir-ez-Zor Governorates
Supporting Potato Farmers in Ar-Raqqa and Deir-ez-Zor Governorates – Phase II
For more information on the SRTF visit:
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