UN to teach agriculture to Syrian refugees in Turkey

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has launched a new project for Syrian refugees and host communities in Turkey to develop vocational skills in agriculture, the body said on Thursday.

The $1.7-million project aims to generate job opportunities for 900 people in five provinces of southern Turkey -- Adana, Gaziantep, Isparta, Mersin and Sanliurfa.

It said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had financed the project of which the Turkish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock was a leading partner.

Agricultural producers, refugees and host communities are expected to benefit from the project through vocational training.

"It aims to improve social cohesion between Syrian refugees and their host communities by creating employment for both groups, increasing household incomes, improving productivity and raising the quality of agricultural products," the FAO said.

Sheikh Ahaduzzaman, FAO program officer, noted that Turkey had indicated a need for a sustainable approach in order to improve the livelihoods and food security of Syrian refugees and the communities which host them.

"The FAO initiative on vocational training will facilitate employment opportunities in the agricultural labor market, which has a huge potential to absorb skilled labor," Ahaduzzaman said in a statement.