DIRWENA for Smallholder Farmers & Microenterprises in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

DIRWENA for Smallholder Farmers & Microenterprises in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

The DIRWENA program provides technical and financial support to 50 smallholder farmers and agricultural microenterprises in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI).

Through hands-on training, mentorship, and financial support, the program empowers its participants to increase productivity, adopt sustainable practices, expand their networks, access new markets, and build resilience in their operations.

Stage 1:

The program begins with an interactive 4-day bootcamp that brings together 75 smallholder farmers and microenterprises, alongside 20 support organizations.

As a participant in this bootcamp, you will:

get to know new skills for farming and running your business,
share experiences and ideas with other farmers and organizations,
Identify the main challenges and opportunities in your community,
Start building connections for long-term support.

Stage 2:

After the bootcamp, 50 smallholder farmers and microenterprises will be selected to join a 4-month phase of targeted support.

Throughout this phase, each participant will receive:

practical training and mentoring on farm management, production, and business skills,
on-site visits from experts and cooperatives to guide and support you,
financial support of 3,000 Euros allocated to invest in services that improve your farm or business.

Together for One Purpose: Inclusive and Resilient Farming Communities

DIRWENA is designed to be inclusive for all smallholder farmers and representatives of microenterprises, including women, internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, and persons with disabilities. By joining the program, you will gain practical training, mentorship, and financial support to grow your farm or business.

Apply for the program by filling out the survey form below. This survey is to know more about your farm or your business. If the program is the right match for you, we will contact you for the next step.

If you need a printed form to share with your network, you can download it from the “Helpful documents” section below, print it, and distribute it to those who are interested in joining the program. Once forms are completed, please make sure they are scanned and sent to DIRWENA’s team.

How does DIRWENA support you?

Practical training and mentorship

You will start with a 4-day bootcamp and end with a sustainability bootcamp. Farmers and microenterprises who will advance to the technical and financial support phase will also receive dedicated mentoring and practical guidance on farming techniques, business skills, and sustainable practices.

Financial support for services

As a participant in the 4-month support phase, you will receive in-kind financial support of 3,000 Euros to invest in services that can strengthen your farming or business activities and open up new growth opportunities.

On-site field visits and support

You will become part of a diverse network of farmers, cooperatives, support organizations, and agribusinesses. You will get the opportunity to share your ideas, learn from experts, and explore new collaboration opportunities that can benefit your farm and your community.

Networking and knowledge exchange

Opportunities for all farmers

DIRWENA provides tailored support to help women, IDPs, refugees, and persons with disabilities working on farms or at microenterprises to enhance their productivity and access new opportunities for growth and development.

DIRWENA’s Timeline

26 November 2025

Survey for applications & insights opens for the kick-off bootcamp.

15 January 2026

Survey closes. Selection starts.

15 - 30 January 2026

2nd stage of application & interview

Feb 2026

Kick-off bootcamp (75 participants)

March - June 2026

Technical & financial support phase (50 participants)

July 2026

Sustainability camp

How does it work?

Take a look through the steps to find out how to join DIRWENA’s bootcamp & support program.

Sign up to join the bootcamp

Take the first step to join the DIRWENA community by completing the survey form. This helps us understand what your farm or business needs.
Prepare your information

Before applying, prepare a copy of your national ID and a brief description of your farm or your business. This will help you complete the form quickly and accurately.
Submit your application

Once everything is ready, submit your application by filling out the form. Please note that this is the only way for us to be able to consider your application, as we don’t accept submissions by e-mail or other formats. If you need support with filling out the form, please feel free to reach out to our contact person.
Check your messages

You will receive a message with the status of your application within three weeks. The message will notify you whether the program will be able to accommodate you or not.

Who can join DIRWENA’s bootcamp & support phase?

We’re on the lookout for farmers and microenterprises who:

are based in Erbil, Duhok, Al Sulaymaniyah, and/or Halabja.
are smallholder farmers or rural microenterprises operating in agriculture or its value chain,
run a farm or business that is actively producing crops, livestock, or non-traditional agricultural products (e.g., mushrooms, herbs, etc.), and
have the motivation to improve farming practices, adopt sustainable techniques, and grow their operations,

To qualify for DIRWENA’s 4-month support phase, you should be:

committed to applying new techniques for improving yields or business efficiency,
willing to collaborate with business support organizations, cooperatives, and diverse groups of farmers in your community,
developing a business concept (for microenterprises) or farming plan (for farmers), showing your potential to grow and connect with the wider value chain, and
be ready to participate in training, mentoring, and field visits with DIRWENA community partners.

Additional requirements:

Smallholder farmers: must be actively working on lands of up to 2 hectares and involved in farm management
Rural microenterprises: must have 1–3 employees (including the owner) and be legally registered.

Farmer and microenterprises that foster diversity, are led by women, include Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), refugees, and persons with disabilities, and aim to create positive social, economic, or ecological impact in their communities, are given priority in the selection process.

To receive support with your application within 24 hours of your request, you can always call us from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM (KRI Time):

Bijar Muhyadeen:+964 750 429 4299

Kovan Aram: +964 770 124 1083

Helpful documents

You can download the paper version of the survey from the list below. Feel free to print it and give it to farmers in your network.

How to submit: Scan or take a clear photo of the completed paper and send it to:

Kovan Abdalla: +964 770 124 1083

Bijar Muhyadeen: +964 750 429 4299

Important: Make sure that phone numbers are written clearly on the paper so we can call them.

Program partners

Developed and implemented by the non-profit organization enpact, the program is supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

DIRWENA for Smallholder Farmers & Microenterprises in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq