Food production
Avian influenza and the global food price crisis have caused shocks to production systems which were already experiencing difficulties. Where yields per feddan for many of MENA’s top agricultural lands are reaching their maximum, it will be important to find new ways to strengthen production through innovation, increased use of urban underutilized land, and finding new ways for financing farm equipment using superior and improved technologies. This includes means to specifically target smallholder farmers and their learning opportunities. By building an understanding of the enabling environment for agricultural growth (integration of projects into sectoral programs and priorities, and synchronisation of crisis early warning systems) farmers and rural inhabitants will be encouraged to learn about new coping strategies to sustain their livelihoods.
