Saudi- Training for women in small businesses

(MENAFN- Arab News) Twenty-five Saudi women participated in specialized courses for small businesses focused on improving the standard of living of rural women. The Agricultural Cooperative Association in Madinah organized the courses under its sustainable rural development programs. The courses, which ended on Thursday, included women lecturers from King Abdulaziz University and Taibah University. Mohammed Al-Haidari, director of agricultural development at the Ministry of Agriculture, said the course program was one of the technical cooperation projects organized between the ministry and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Al-Haidari said it aims to help women develop skills to engage in small-scale projects designed to raise their income and improve their standard of living. The course included lectures on the characteristics and advantages of small rural businesses, sustainable development, challenges and obstacles in rural enterprises, and forms of modern technology used in small agricultural and manufacturing activities to generate income. In addition, said Al-Haidari, the course included training programs on how to start a small business. Al-Haidari said the project would organize several additional courses to strengthen the capacity of women to contribute to rural development, and improve the investment environment for women to take advantage of projects and existing activities in the field of agricultural production.