Under the Euphrates Basin Rehabilitation Project (FIRAT), activities will target small-scale producers who depend on mixed farming for their livelihoods and live in forest villages in high-altitude areas. The project aims to reduce poverty in the region, raise income levels and strengthen the economic resilience of households.
Forest villages in six provinces targeted
Under a financing agreement signed between Türkiye and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the project will be implemented in selected districts of Şanlıurfa, Malatya, Diyarbakır and Adıyaman, as well as in Bingöl and Elazığ, which have not previously been included in projects financed by IFAD.
The General Directorate of Forestry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will serve as the lead implementing organization, with women, unemployed young people and poor households given priority. The activities will focus on strengthening the livelihoods and market access of small-scale producers living in forest villages in high-altitude areas.
Allocation of grant funds
IFAD, acting as the implementing agency of the Global Environment Facility, will provide $1,411,187 in grant financing for the project. Of this amount, $859,587 will be allocated to micro-watershed planning and natural resource management.
- $250,000 for investments in sustainable land management, climate-resilient infrastructure, livelihoods and market access
- $112,600 for institutional strengthening
- $125,000 for project management expenses
- $64,000 for monitoring and evaluation activities
Forty micro-watershed plans to be prepared
A total of 40 micro-watershed plans will be prepared under the project, each covering an average of 10 villages. These plans will support activities aimed at rehabilitating and sustainably managing natural resources.
Based on the improvement and investment opportunities identified in the micro-watershed plans, investments will be made to develop productive assets, diversify agricultural production and economic activities in rural areas, improve production technologies, and collect products and deliver them to markets.
Additional support will be provided for the marketing and promotion of products produced in the project provinces. Investments in public irrigation infrastructure will be complemented by farm-level investments carried out through a revolving fund and grant mechanism.
