USAID Awards Contract for Agricultural Reconstruction and Development
WASHINGTON, DC 20523
PRESS OFFICE
http://www.usaid.gov/
Press: (202) 712-4320
Public Information: (202) 712-4810
2003-087
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 21, 2003
Contact: USAID Press Office
WASHINGTON, DC - In support of the Coalition Provisional Authority's (CPA) reconstruction efforts in Iraq, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) today announced an initial award of $5 million to Bethesda, Maryland-based Development Alternatives, Inc (DAI) for agricultural reconstruction and development in Iraq. This one-year program, known as the "Agriculture Reconstruction and Development Program for Iraq" (ARDI), is designed to support Iraqi initiatives to revitalize agricultural production, stimulate income and employment generation through agro-enterprise and market development, nurture rural financial services, and rehabilitate the natural resource base.
Working collaboratively with the CPA, Iraqis and other partners ARDI will rehabilitate, strengthen, and modernize the agriculture system in post-conflict Iraq in two phases. The first phase will run three months, focusing on quick-impact activities to stimulate agricultural production and contribute to food security. Emergency needs will be identified and critical agricultural inputs supplied, including seeds, fertilizer, and irrigation equipment for the upcoming planting season. The second phase will run for eight months, focusing on longer-term rehabilitation and sustainability of Iraq's agriculture program. USAID will provide a wide range of technical assistance, financial services, training, and equipment to improve management of soil and water resources, reinvigorate local markets, stimulate agro-enterprise development, and increase trade and investment in agriculture.
This contract is part of USAID's overall relief and reconstruction efforts in Iraq in support of the Coalition Provisional Authority. To date, USAID has awarded eleven contracts for reconstruction activities including agriculture, health care, education, local governance and infrastructure reconstruction and repair. For more information on USAID's humanitarian relief and reconstruction efforts in Iraq, please visit www.usaid.gov/iraq/.
The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.
Back to Top ^
|