Having once covered a green area the size of a small country, today the Marshlands of Iraq still face many agricultural and environmental challenges even after being re-flooded almost two decades ago. Its population relies heavily on the marsh eco-systems for water and livelihoods, which continue to suffer due to those challenges.

The Marshlands are located near the governorate of Missan, which despite being historically considered an important agricultural center, its economy now suffers due to crumbling infrastructure and poor access to resources.

Through UNDP Iraq’s ‘Peer-to-Peer' project which unites an Iraqi governorate with a European local authority to collaborate in a specific field, the governorate of Missan will cooperate with the Albanian Association of municipalities to support agriculture and rural development in the region.

One of the earliest farming sites in Europe, Albania employs almost half of the population in the agricultural sector. It has also been using the small grant schemes for farmers model, through which farmers can acquire small loans from the government to raise production, making the Albanian Association of Municipalities a very suitable experienced partner to Missan and the marshlands in this area of cooperation.

After the assessment phase in which gaps will be identified and action plans will be drafted by both partners, the project will support Missan’s agricultural and rural development by strengthening the local capacities and initiating and implementing processes that ensure a sustainable and resource-efficient development of rural areas and the Marshlands.

 The one-year collaboration recently commenced via a virtual kick-off meeting, in which both sides expressed their excitement and their willingness to commit to this project to see concrete changes and address some of the challenges that face the region today.

The Peer-To-Peer project is a series of collaborations between Iraqi Governorates and European local authorities, aimed at developing infrastructure and services, as well as supporting Iraqi livelihoods.

This initiative is implemented under the programme Supporting Recovery and Stability in Iraq through Local Development, funded by the EU and implemented by UNDP Iraq.