The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, also known as KSrelief, has signed an $8 million cooperation agreement with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization designed to boost agricultural production in Yemen and improve the lives of families that depend on the sector.

The funding will be used to aid Yemenis who rely on agriculture, livestock or fisheries for income and for food. It is an emergency support initiative for communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which will benefit about 34,500 families in 14 areas some of the worst-affected communities, including Abyan, Al-Hodeidah, Al-Jawf and Al-Mahrah governorates.

It aims to support farmers, livestock owners, fishermen and other working families by improving access to fishing sites, enhancing infrastructure, and providing the community with basic fishing equipment. It will increase accessibility and food-production capacity by helping to provide farming resources such as seeds, fertilizers, machinery and labor. The joint agreement will also develop training programs to help staff at Yemen’s Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation improve the sector.

The agreement was signed by Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, KSrelief’s general supervisor, and Qu Dongyu, the director-general of the FAO, during a virtual conference on Monday.

During a virtual meeting on June 1, organized by the National Council on US-Arab Relations, Al-Rabeeah said that Saudi Arabia has taken a leading role in international humanitarian work by providing more than $94.6 billion in aid worldwide over the past 25 years. Yemen currently accounts for the biggest share of this assistance, he added, with 700 humanitarian projects underway in the country worth more than $4 billion.

Also present at Monday’s virtual signing ceremony were AbdulHakim Elwaer, the FAO’s assistant director-general and regional representative for the Near East and North Africa, and Ahmed Al-Baiz, KSrelief’s assistant supervisor-general for operations and programs.