Green Mada’in Association for Agricultural Development
Encyclopedia
The Green Mada’in Association for Agricultural Development (GMAAD) is a not-for-profit agricultural cooperative in Iraq
. The cooperative's membership includes over 800 small farmers, mostly situated in Mada’in Qada, a region east of Baghdad
in Baghdad Governorate.
GMAAD assists farmers in buying fertilizer and seeds in addition to hiring drivers and renting equipment to harvest wheat and barley. Cooperative members may make arrangements to sell their products directly to the public in Baghdad. Farmers who receive training and greenhouses agree to return a portion of their profits to the agriculture associations in order to fund the construction of greenhouses for other members. The cooperative opened warehouse facilities and a new office and held the first meeting of its board of directors in December 2009.
Efforts to form the cooperative began in 2008 with the support of 47 Mada’in Qada agricultural associations, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
, and the Iraq Ministry of Agriculture. The cooperative was founded with the help of the USDA’s
Provincial Reconstruction Team
(PRT) to rebuild Iraq’s agricultural sector. USDA agricultural advisors Floyd Wood, Glen Brown and John Ellerman provided technical expertise and guidance during the formation of the cooperative. Initial funding of $6 million was provided by the United States Department of State
. Two-thirds of the funding was used to provide farmers with access to credit through a Revolving Loan Fund
. An additional $4.5 million was provided by the U.S. Commanders’ Emergency Response Program to install over 400 greenhouse
s and nearly 600 drip irrigation
systems. Green Mada’in Association for Agricultural Development is the largest U.S. funded agricultural project in Iraq.
Future projects of the cooperative may include construction of a date-processing plant, cattle chutes and a poultry feed mill.
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. The cooperative's membership includes over 800 small farmers, mostly situated in Mada’in Qada, a region east of Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
in Baghdad Governorate.
GMAAD assists farmers in buying fertilizer and seeds in addition to hiring drivers and renting equipment to harvest wheat and barley. Cooperative members may make arrangements to sell their products directly to the public in Baghdad. Farmers who receive training and greenhouses agree to return a portion of their profits to the agriculture associations in order to fund the construction of greenhouses for other members. The cooperative opened warehouse facilities and a new office and held the first meeting of its board of directors in December 2009.
Efforts to form the cooperative began in 2008 with the support of 47 Mada’in Qada agricultural associations, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
Nouri al-Maliki
Nouri Kamil Mohammed Hasan al-Maliki , also known as Jawad al-Maliki or Abu Esraa, is the Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party. Al-Maliki and his government succeeded the Iraqi Transitional Government. He is currently in his second term as Prime Minister...
, and the Iraq Ministry of Agriculture. The cooperative was founded with the help of the USDA’s
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
Provincial Reconstruction Team
Provincial reconstruction team
A Provincial Reconstruction Team is a unit introduced by the United States government, consisting of military officers, diplomats, and reconstruction subject matter experts, working to support reconstruction efforts in unstable states. PRTs were first established in Afghanistan in late 2001 or...
(PRT) to rebuild Iraq’s agricultural sector. USDA agricultural advisors Floyd Wood, Glen Brown and John Ellerman provided technical expertise and guidance during the formation of the cooperative. Initial funding of $6 million was provided by the United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
. Two-thirds of the funding was used to provide farmers with access to credit through a Revolving Loan Fund
Revolving Loan Fund
A Revolving Loan Fund is a source of money from which loans are made for multiple small business development projects. Revolving loan funds share many characteristics with microcredit, micro-enterprise, and village banking, namely providing loans to persons or groups of people that do not qualify...
. An additional $4.5 million was provided by the U.S. Commanders’ Emergency Response Program to install over 400 greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
s and nearly 600 drip irrigation
Drip irrigation
Drip irrigation, also known as trickle irrigation or microirrigation or localized irrigation , is an irrigation method which saves water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root zone, through a network of valves,...
systems. Green Mada’in Association for Agricultural Development is the largest U.S. funded agricultural project in Iraq.
Future projects of the cooperative may include construction of a date-processing plant, cattle chutes and a poultry feed mill.