By Abdullahi Lukman
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) has launched an agricultural project in Dodoma, Tanzania, aimed at strengthening drought resilience and improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.
The project, implemented in partnership with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), will involve planting 3,000 date palm seedlings, establishing demonstration fields and providing irrigation systems and agricultural machinery.
About 250 smallholder farmers are expected to benefit directly from the initiative, while an estimated 1,150 people will benefit indirectly.
Farmers and agricultural extension workers will also receive training in date palm cultivation and sustainable farming practices.
The launch was attended by Saudi Ambassador to Tanzania Yahya Okeish, Tanzanian Deputy Minister of Agriculture David Silinde, FAO representative Nyabenyi Tipo and other officials.
KSrelief said the initiative forms part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to promote sustainable agriculture, strengthen food security and diversify rural incomes in Tanzania.
Meanwhile, the Saudi aid agency has concluded a week-long medical campaign in Curitiba, Brazil, where an 11-member medical team performed 23 open-heart surgeries.
In Yemen, KSrelief distributed 463 tents and 528 shelter kits to displaced people in 13 camps across Aden, Hadramout, Taiz, Lahj, Abyan and Shabwa governorates.
The two-week relief operation benefited 3,110 people displaced from districts along the western coast of Hodeidah and Taiz.
