EU supports livestock project with over €4m in Palestine

The Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) has recently launched SULALAH, project for livestock development, funded by the European Union (EU), a press release said on Thursday.The EU’s 4.17 million Euros fund is part of its Food Security Program in the occupied Palestinian Territory.The 24-month project is implemented by UAWC in partnership with Gruppo di Volontariato Civile (GVC), the Palestinian Hydrology Group for Water and Environmental Resources Development (PHG), Qatar Charity, LaoreSardegna, Jericho’s Cooperative Association for Livestock Production and al-Ta’amreh Cooperative Association for Livestock Development.SULALAH aims to move herders from aid dependence to self-sustaining growth through livestock husbandry development and market expansion, said the press release.Its goal is to improve food security of Palestinian female and male herders by protecting, sustaining and developing livestock production.The project also aims to improve the resilience of vulnerable herders living in the eastern slopes of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron and Jericho by enhancing their production capacities, increasing their access to assets and creating income-generating opportunities from livestock productions.SULALAH also aims to improve herders’ access to the local market and enhance economic activity in area C as well as access to water resources through the enhancement of water demand management and the construction of new water facilities.The project will also seek to improve women’s role in the livestock production sector by ensuring their access to the introductory trainings of innovative production practices as well as strengthening their capacity to participate in decision-making processes.