New planning in agriculture

A 4-day regional training workshop on drafting effective national agricultural development programmes began at Grand Hyatt Muscat Hotel here yesterday. The workshop deals with the process of preparation of the integrated systems designed for implementation in member states of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Thirty-six officials are taking part in the workshop, which was opened by Dr Hamad bin said al Oufi, Under-Secretary of the Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry for Fisheries.

Dr Khalid bin Mansour al Zadjali, Director-General of Planning and Investment Development, said that the workshop aims at enhancing the capacity of FAO representatives and upgrade the level of technicians to support agricultural development through effective strategic planning. It also seeks to enhance the capacity of specialists in agricultural and fish planning by imparting knowledge and the skills needed to implement national programmes.

Al Zadjali pointed out that effective national programmes include several themes, including medium-term joint response between governments and the FAO by optimising the outcome of joint studies. FAO Representative in the Sultanate, El Zein al Muzzammil, said the workshop is one of the methods to identify medium-term response to the needs of member states in pursuit of development objectives.

El Zein pointed out that the devising of the national framework for programming is a shared responsibility between the governments and the FAO with participation of national stakeholders, including the private sector and civil society institutions. The FAO launched early this year a programme to promote knowledge and upgrade skills on results-based programming, management and resource mobilisation at the national level.
Richard Moore, FAO Head of Human Resources Department, said in a speech that partnership with the Sultanate is a good opportunity to achieve important goals and transform knowledge into reality. He stressed that effective national programme provides an opportunity to exchange opinions and improve policies. — ONA

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