‘Ai Social Development Society will implement the “Rural Women in the Management of Environmental Income-generating Projects in Semi-arid Areas in Southern Jordan”. ‘Ai is a village of 8500 inhabitants located 15 Km south of Karak governorate.  It is famous for its indigenous olives and grapes and other fruit trees.  Over the past two decades, both agricultural and grazing lands in the area have been subject to deterioration and soil erosion as a result of draught and damaging agricultural practices, such as improper plowing and unorganized grazing.  The project will support activities that aim at controlling land degradation and soil erosion through building the capacities of women, in particular, and the local community in general, in the field of implementing income-generating and other activities related to land and water resource management.

The project will contribute to creating new job opportunities in the area and improving family income through bee-keeping and medicinal plant production.  It will also improve women’s skills and capacities in the management of environmentally sound income-generating activities, in addition to improving the NGO’s capacities in project management.  The grant value amounts to US$ 48,000.

Tubnah Women Cooperative will implement the “Community Livelihood and Improved Land Resource Management in Tubnah village, North Jordan”.  Tubnah is administratively part of Al-Koura district in Irbid governorate. It is located south west of Irbid and is surrounded by forest trees. The village is an agricultural area where the main crop is olive harvested from the old Roman olive trees, which still survive there, in addition to grapes, and other fruit trees such as figs and stone fruit trees.  Land degradation and soil erosion have become observable in the area over the past years as a result of increased human pressure on the land, improper use of natural resources and over grazing.  This situation has adversely impacted the significant biodiversity, as well as the traditional means of livelihoods of the local community in the area, which falls within a forest area of the arid to semi-arid ecosystem of the East Mediterranean.  In order to assist the local community of Tubnah in addressing the above problem, the project will support activities that would control land degradation and increase soil productivity through various conservation measures such as stone terraces, under-cropping and water harvesting to provide complementary irrigation. 

Solar water heaters will also be supported by the project to reduce the community’s dependence on tree cutting and wood burning.  Improved living conditions will also be achieved through supporting income-generating activities such as bee-keeping and herbal plant growing and processing.  Full technical assistance to this project is provided by the Poverty Alleviation through Community Development Project (PACD) implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture with support from the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ).  The grant value amounts to US$ 50,000.

‘Anjara Women Cooperative will implement the “Conservation of Historical Olive Trees in Ajloun Governorate”.  Olive trees are among the oldest known trees in Jordan.  They go back in history to the Roman times, as is evident through the ancient olive pressers scattered in the different parts of the country.  Throughout history, olive trees have been the most adaptable tree species to Jordan’s environment, soil and climate.  This is well manifested in the large numbers of old olive trees and their outstanding resistance to pests and diseases.  Although new and different species of olive trees were introduced to Jordan along the past years, indigenous species still prove to be more resistant and adaptable.  However, those trees, especially in Ajloun governorate, are currently facing threats of extinction, with many factors leading to decreasing their numbers, including neglect, cutting down for sale as decorative garden plants, or to be replaced by other types of trees.  Losing historical or “Roman” olive trees, as referred to by the community, is not just losing the origins of an indigenous old tree but is also a loss of history and heritage.  Through the project, the ‘Anjara Women Cooperative will undertake activities that would protect the trees in question, in cooperation with the Agro-biodiversity Project implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture/ National Center for Agricultural Research and Technology Transfer.  Providing extension services and materials needed to care for the trees, conducting local and national awareness campaigns and efforts to enforce the laws to protect old olive trees are the focus of this project.  Grant value amounts to US$ 43,000. 

The Petra National Trust (PNT), a national non-government organization that was created to preserve the antiquities, cultural heritage and environment of the Petra region will implement the  “Flora and Fauna of the Petra Archaeological Park & Region”.  The project aims at contributing to the protection of biodiversity in Petra, a unique heritage area, (UNESCO World Heritage site) in the arid to semi-arid ecosystem of the East Mediterranean.  It will promote Petra in its regional and ecological settings as an eco-tourism destination through the production of a high quality pocket guide to the flora and fauna of the area and through outreach activities.  The project will contribute to the development of local indigenous community in the Petra region through outreach and awareness activities, and through connecting to poverty alleviation efforts in the area.  The project’s research activities are partly supported by the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Jordan. Grant value amounts to US$ 48,700.