About the association the association
In the second half of 2023, a local agricultural and development cooperative was established in the towns of Kali and Kafr Arouq in the Idlib countryside by the WATAN foundation under the name of the AKADIA Association, as part of the journey home Project funded by the European Union. The AKADIA Association, with its two branches (the Olive farmers Association and the Women’s Association), aims to support olive and vegetable farmers, enhance their efficiency, and provide sustainable support to the most important value chains in the two towns: the olive value chain and the vegetable value chain, in addition to establishing economic empowerment activities in the targeted areas.
Thanks to the journey home Project, the association was able to achieve many achievements, including:
- Establishing a sustainable loan system within Acadia associations, based on the recovery of 75% of the loans provided to farmers.
- Providing high-quality agricultural inputs to farmers with limited capabilities.
- Establishing an olive press with high production capacity in an area in the middle of farmers’ fields.
- Establishing an olive oil analysis laboratory that provides qualitative tests and certificates that express the quality of the oil.
- Establishing and operating a manufacturing unit for local products, where it began providing local products manufactured by women’s hands to local markets with high quality and acceptable prices.
- Establishing permanent units to produce hybrid vegetable seedlings, which achieved great success in its first season with the participation of women under the technical supervision of the WATAN team.
- Receiving comprehensive governance training, which included multiple concepts adopted by members of the boards of directors of both associations.
- Establishing and qualifying AKADIA associations to submit good proposals for using loans recovered from farmers to provide new services to olive and vegetable farmers, with the aim of supporting the olive value chain and the vegetable value chain in a sustainable manner through training on business plans.
Through these initiatives, the association seeks to empower Syrian society and enhance social and economic stability in northwestern Syria.
Objectives OLIVE GROWERS ASSOCIATION
- Promoting cooperative work, spreading awareness among members, and enhancing the spirit of teamwork.
- Improving the standard of living of olive producers by encouraging complementary industries.
- Developing productivity and increasing returns.
- Coordinating with professional associations and bodies in order to develop the association’s work.
- Expanding the association’s work areas to include the largest possible area.
- Using modern technology and mechanization to improve the production and quality of olive oil.
- Marketing olive products internally and externally through a clear marketing policy.
- Increasing the area planted with olive trees by increasing farmers’ awareness of training courses and workshops and introducing new varieties.
Objectives of the Women's Association
- Establishing economic activities, improving the standard of living, and providing job opportunities for rural women
- Producing high quality foodstuffs at acceptable prices for consumers
- Providing high-quality agricultural inputs to vegetable farmers.
- Production of hybrid vegetable seedlings through permanent seedling production units (greenhouses)
- Developing the association to become an advisory reference for farmers
- Securing markets for agricultural products and supporting the vegetable value chain in a sustainable manner
- Preparing the necessary studies to increase and improve agricultural production of vegetable crops by submitting qualitative proposals that support vegetable farmers, improve production, and support marketing operations.
Association activities
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