IMPROVING FOOD SECURITY AND INCOMES FOR LOW-INCOME POPULATIONS IN JORDAN
The agriculture sector in Jordan contributes to about 3.5 percent of the country’s GDP and provides livelihood for 20 percent of the population in the country. Water scarcity in Jordan is a major constraint for growth and
development and interventions in soil and water conserva- tion for eligible farmers; (vi) construction of rural roads to facilitate access to markets and social facilities, and; (vii) the establishment of a credit program for on-lending to
affects the productivity of the agricul- ture sector, which accounts for about 70 percent of the national water con- sumption. The majority of rural house- holds are poor and depend on low- input, low-productivity farming based on uncertain and depleting water re- sources. In the project area, scarcity of water has been increasing at an alarm-
farmers. The OPEC Fund’s financing specifically focused on supporting soil and water conservation measures, the construction of water storage facilities, and the construction of rural roads. The project contributed to the devel- opment of 131,387 m 3 of cistern capaci- ty and 97.4 km of distribution channels, the upgrade about 150 km of roads,
ing rate and water depletion has started to reach critical proportions. The responsible and efficient use of scarce water resources is therefore of high importance to ensure food security in Jordan. In 2004, the OPEC Fund approved a US$10.3 million loan to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to finance a pro- ject aimed at improving food and water security and in- come levels of a target group of 22,300 poor rural farm- ing households in the Governorates of Karak, Tafilah, and Ma’an. The project objectives were to stop degradation and restore soil fertility for sustainable use of land and wa- ter resources. Disbursements started in 2006 and the pro- ject was completed in 2016. Besides the OPEC Fund, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) also supported the project. The overall project included: (i) capacity building of com- munities on soil and water management; (ii) soil and water conservation measures for both on-farm and off-farm areas; (iii) the construction of water storage facilities, protection of springs, and rehabilitation of irrigation sys- tems; (iv) supporting the enhancement of policies, regula- tions and frameworks on resource use, integrated land use planning and sustainable land management; (v) orchard
the implementation of on-farm soil conservation measures and riverbed protection gabions that benefited 4,313 farm- ers, and the construction and restoration of orchards for 3,860 farmers. The project also focused on aiding landless individuals, youth, and women in securing microfinance, providing US$2.25 million in loans for adaptation to climate change to 483 beneficiaries — with 78 percent of the recipi- ents being women. Furthermore, the project founded 48 lo- cal community committees dedicated to women’s activities and capacity building. The project succeeded in enhancing food and water security and raised income levels of the tar- geted farmers by about 50 percent on average, and of tar- geted families overall by about 60 percent. Average returns per labor-day increased by about 42.6 percent.
50 PERCENT The project raised income levels of the targeted farmers by about on average, and of targeted families overall by about 60 percent.
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