TEHRAN – Italy has been implementing a project on strengthening rural communities through sustainable agriculture in Iran over the past three years.

The project, called SPRING (Strengthening CSO’s Participation for a Responsible and Inclusive Agriculture Growth through Development of Rural Cooperatives), is drawing to a close after three years of activity in Iran.

With the objective of taking stock of the initiative’s accomplishments and discussing future strategies, a Final Capitalization Conference was held on Tuesday virtually, with the participation of the main stakeholders of the project and representatives of the cooperative movement in both countries.

The initiative was aimed at strengthening the capacity of cooperatives and cooperative associations to promote inclusive and sustainable growth, by supporting the rural producers in the County of Bam and the broader Kerman province.

It has been led by the Iranian Society for the Protection and Assistance of the Socially Disadvantaged Individuals (SPASDI), in cooperation with the Italian NGO Haliéus (Lega Pesca for International Cooperation Projects) and Legacoop, the oldest Italian cooperative organization, and has been co-financed by the European Union in the framework of its Civil Society Organizations and Local Authorities Thematic Program.

The SPRING project is part of broader cooperation in place between Italy and Iran in the field of support to civil societies and, in particular, to the most disadvantaged social groups.

The conference was opened by the Ambassador of Italy, Giuseppe Perrone’s introductory remarks.

After acknowledging the important results achieved by the promoters of the initiative, the Italian Envoy described the SPRING project as “an important example of mobilization and empowerment of the most disadvantaged segments of our society through a participatory approach aimed at strengthening the organizational and managerial skills of local farmers, by providing them with a prospect of sustainable development and improvement of their living conditions.”

Perrone then underlined the fundamental role historically played by the cooperative movement, both in Italy and in Iran, in promoting a more widespread and inclusive economic development.

All participants in the meeting shared their appreciation for the outcome of the project, illustrated the best practices implemented and the difference they made in the life of local communities, and laid premises for the continuation of the joint work done with SPRING.

FB/MG