4-H gets a foothold in Iraq with U.S. government aid

4-H, a youth organization with a strong presence in many rural communities, is providing opportunities for youth in 81 countries, most recently Iraq, reports Agri-Pulse, a Washington-based newsletter.

4-H began in Iraq in 2009 when Mary Kerstetter of the Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service traveled to Anbar province as an farm adviser, Agri-Pulse reports. She taught youth how to tend sheep, Iraq's most common form of livestock, and created two 4-H sheep clubs with the help of $50,000 in State Department grants and leaders like government official Salam Singer (in USDA photo with Kerstetter).

Now Iraq has 42 4-H clubs with more than 1,100 members aged 12 to 14, Agri-Pulse reports. To visit the national Iraqi 4-H website, click here. To obtain a free, four-issue trial subscription to Agri-Pulse, a subscription-only newsletter, click here.