30,600 families
supported
214,800 people
Starting to believe
in agriculture again.
Goals and targets set by CIHEAM Bari are not only ambitious but also measurable
Accordingly, OPEN IMPACT, a research spin-off of the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, measured and assessed the social impact generated by Ra.L.A project for the years 2019 and 2020, quantifying the social value generated by each category of stakeholder.
In 2020, Ra.L.A. project generated a social value of $ 6,190,815, with an initial investment of $ 698,807 allocated in the donor’s budget for the purchase of inputs, in addition to $ 1,017,572 generated through the Cost Recovery system. Thus, each dollar spent on the purchase of inputs more than tripled in value (3.61), with an average amount of $379 spent per beneficiary and an average social payoff of $1,366 for each beneficiary.
The application of the cost recovery model made it possible to multiply by 2.46 times the initial grant resources for the purchase of inputs, with beneficiaries thus becoming co-financers of the project for a total of $ 1,017,572.
The Cost-Recovery approach is the key to unlocking this potential. This funding mechanism does not rely solely on donor grant to support rural communities but rather builds on beneficiaries' co-participation.
In line with the paradigm of a new approach to development cooperation, resilience-building interventions that involve beneficiary communities in development planning funding enable people to actively reshape the future and destiny of their communities.
Impact
Working With and For the People
This is the primary approach followed by CIHEAM Bari in all resilience interventions in Syria.
Sustainable impact means to us upholding Syrian rural communities with hope and trust in their country's future, allowing farmers to start believing in agriculture again.
Investing in local production and stabilizing rural communities' resilience has proven to be an effective means to preserve the livelihood of thousands of families in Northern Syria. This drive shapes our interventions that invest in Syrian agriculture, enhancing resilience and livelihood while ensuring food security for the whole community.
“Thanks to such a tangible support, farmers can pursue their dreams again”
Since 2015, CIHEAM Bari’s early-recovery interventions have been actively supporting Syrian rural communities to improve their ability to adapt to a new war economy. Agricultural and livestock inputs and services are provided, local communities' skills strengthened, and income-generating women opportunities created. To date, more than 30,600 families have benefited from our interventions; of these, 10,600 rural families have been reached so far through the ongoing Ra.L.A project alone, which is about 84,800 people.
Enhanced Agriculture and Livestock
Ra.L.A. project has made an undeniable impact on farmers' agricultural productivity. Thanks to the distribution of inputs for agriculture and livestock, farmers and breeders have been able to expand their access to inputs and services by 50%, thereby enhancing crop productivity and considerably increasing the livestock population.
Based on available data on more than 16,000 farmers in northern Syria, Ra.L.A project beneficiaries managed to increase the productivity of their crops (wheat, barley, cotton) in 2020 by up to 10.5%, compared to a sample of non-beneficiary farmers in the same area. The provision of inputs such as fertilisers and chemicals for plant protection and rehabilitation of agricultural services and field monitoring for early detection and prevention of pests and diseases led to a measurable increase in crop productivity. In financial terms, the increase in farmers' crop productivity would amount to about $591,000 - at current market prices.
The current deterioration of the economy in north-eastern Syria has caused an overall decrease in the breeders’ livestock numbers compared to 2019. In that year, the beneficiaries of the programme could keep their herds, having 27% more animals than a sample of other farmers in the same area. This 27% difference in livestock equals a value of about $4,949,317 at current market prices. The increase in livestock productivity is more than 4.88 million $ when considering the production capacity of these thousands of animals.
At the same time, the quantities of inputs purchased on the local market have further revitalized and boosted the local economy and are therefore crucial for full support to farmers and stock breeders. However, it is the whole rural community that is expected to benefit.
"I can afford to provide a better livelihood for my family; my sons and daughters have gone back to school and university and I can hire the workers I need for my farming activities"
— Mahmoud, farmer in Al-Raqqa