October 16, 2007

ACDI/VOCA Issues Iraq Sheep & Wool Production Report

Traditionally, the rural people of the Kurdish regions of Iraq have raised sheep and goats and used the wool to produce carpets and other wool products. Decades of repression by the central government, sanctions, war and even humanitarian aid, however, have nearly destroyed these industries and scattered the populations of the villages in which they were based. Now, the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) wants farmers and herders to move back to the villages to reestablish their farms and flocks. In the spring of 2007, ACDI/VOCA conducted a study of the sheep and wool industry in the KRG region and the feasibility of redeveloping agricultural and wool industries there. Investigators looked at the production and processing components, from raising sheep to making carpets. They found that the agricultural expertise, government policies, and support for local producers necessary for the reestablishment of the wool industry are not currently in place. The investigators’ findings and recommendations on creating the conditions needed for a successful return to small ruminant farming and wool processing in the region are detailed in the attached report.

The report, "Opportunities for Agricultural Redevelopment in Kurdistan Regional Government: Sheep and Wool Production,"(PDF 2 MB) was funded by USAID through the Community Action Program (CAP), which ACDI/VOCA implements in Iraq with CHF International, International Relief and Development and MercyCorps. The goal of CAP is to help build a stable, democratic and prosperous Iraq by strengthening the capacity of citizens to participate in local decision making and development. The program, which began in 2003 and was extended in 2006, is a $150 million effort that inspired Congressman Christopher Shays (R-CT) to say, "This is the one program that is in fact working in Iraq. No one disputes it. We can dispute everything else, but not this."

Click here to read the full report.(PDF 2 MB)