TEHRAN – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran’s Ministry of Agriculture to provide $395,000 for flood management projects in the country, IRNA news agency reported.

Deputy Agriculture Minister, Alimorad Akbari, and FAO Representative to Iran, Gerold Bödeker, signed the MOU during a meeting in Tehran on Wednesday.
Funded by FAO, this two-year Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) project will assist Iran in flood forecasting and management.

Through allocating $395,000 to this project, FAO assists Iran to improve flood forecasting and management technologies, while using knowledge and experience of different countries for the training of experts.

Some 30 percent of the fund will be spent on providing required equipment and facilities and the rest on training and implementation projects.

The Iranian official for his part said that the TCP flood management project is being implemented in collaboration with key bodies including FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific; FAO Office in Iran; Ministry of Energy; Meteorological Organization; Forests, Range, and Watershed Management Organization; Disaster Management Organization; and Ministry of Agriculture.

The goal of this project is to improve food and nutrition security in agricultural areas affected by floods, he added.

Transferring the experiences of other countries to Iran in dealing with natural incidents and training of farmers are among the objectives of the project; we will train 210 people during 6 training courses with the aim of increasing resilience to climate-related disasters, he explained.

Sanctions not to limit FAO's cooperation with Iran

Bödeker, for his part, said that FAO spends 13-14 percent of its total budget on TCP projects and can allocate up to $500,000 per project depending on the region.

Pointing out that U.S. sanctions do not limit FAO's cooperation with Iran, he stated that FAO’s activities do not interfere with regional and geopolitical issues, so it will not be subject to sanctions.

He further expressed hope that the project goes well with the cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture.

FB/MG