Khadija Saeed Ali, Abyan- Zingibar, lost both of her parents during the ongoing conflict the country is going through, making her a breadwinner and provider for her family consisting of 20 members.

“I tried to help my family make ends meet through working in odd jobs; I worked as a henna tattoo artist, but it did not last for long, so I moved to starting a few projects such as cattle raising and beekeeping which failed, leading me to be unemployed for over 8 months”, reflected Khadija.

To tackle this issue, Supporting Resilient Livelihoods and Food Security in Yemen Joint Programme /ERRY II, co- funded by the European Union & Sida  and implemented by  the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), has trained Khadija to become a trainer in the Farmers Field Schools and then a member of the Dairy Production Unit, both of which were established under the f Agriculture Value Chain component of the joint programme.

“ Before joining the joint programme, I hardly knew anything about diary production or the measures of cleanliness required while tending dairy products and cattle.After the training course, I trained more than 725 beneficiaries on the skills I learned”, remarked Khadija.

Khadija now works in the Dairy Production Unit established in the Office of Agriculture and Irrigation in Zingibar. In this Unit, Khadija and her 8 fellow trainers purchase milk from beneficiaries whom they have trained on how to milk their cattle hygienically, and then they start producing yoghurt, cheese, ghee and buttermilk and package them in small containers that have a special label for the Unit. These dairy products are then sold both at the Unit itself and at several mini-supermarkets in the district.

“By producing and selling dairy products I make an average profit of YR 3000 on a daily basis”, explained Khadija. “Training a lot of women farmers has helped me not only learn more about agriculture extension work, but also strike up relationships that I am benefiting from in the business of dairy production”, she added.

Khadija hopes that the demand for dairy products in Abyan will go up so that the Unit will increase its production in order for her to keep up a sustainable source of income and one day start her own dairy production unit.

Supporting Resilient Livelihoods and Food Security in Yemen Joint Programme /ERRY II is a joint-initiative co- funded by the European Union (EU) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency- Sida . The programme is jointly implemented by FAO, ILO, UNDP and WFP in six governorates in Yemen (Hajjah, Hodeidah, Lahj ,Abyan, Taiz and Sanaa). The three-year joint programme aims to contribute to reduced vulnerability and strengthened resilience of crisis-affected communities in Yemen through the creation of sustainable livelihoods and improving access to basic services. Khadija is one of many who have been able to sustainably benefit from the joint programme and overcome their ordeals.

Highlights:

• 1500 farmers are being trained on milking and fattening activities
• 5 dairy processing units for female beneficiaries are being rehabilitated
• An irrigation canal covering 71 Ha (3,800 m) has been rehabilitated to improve crops/livestock value chain productivity benefiting 216 farmers