Ms. Christine McNab, UNDP Resident Representative in Jordan and heads of the supported NGOs signed those agreements.  The grants fall within the activities of the Global Environment Facility/ Small Grants Programme (GEF/SGP) administered by the United Nations Development Programme.  The GEF/SGP, which started its operation in 1992 will be entering its third operational phase in March 2005.  This phase which will continue over the coming three years and will be characterized by several directions including its focus on tracking impacts of supported projects, making sure that these impacts are enhanced through connecting projects geographically or thematically, replicating or scaling up.  This will contribute to the achievements of the GEF/SGP strategic objectives of achieving global environmental benefits in the areas of biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation and persistent organic pollutants, as well as the achievement of enhanced and improved livelihoods of the local communities and their capacities to manage their natural resources. 

In line with the above, a cluster of three integrated projects will be implemented in three villages in the north; Dogara and Kharja in Irbid governorate and ‘Ebeen & ‘Ebileen in Ajloun governorate.  Dogara Women Cooperative and Kharja Women Cooperative and ‘Ebeen and ‘Ebileen Women Cooperative will be implementing the “Improved Natural Resource Management and Community Livelihood” project in their respective areas, with the aim to contribute to controlling land degradation and soil erosion, improving productivity of agricultural land and preserving environmental resources.  The project activities include the introduction of soil conservation measures, water harvesting, using effective drip irrigation techniques, bee keeping, medicinal herb planting and processing, installation of solar cells for water heating and improvement of sanitary situation in the concerned villages.  It is hoped that these projects would constitute models that encourage neighboring communities to adopt similar activities to serve their needs in line with their environmental and socio-economic contexts.  The total value of the three grants amount to (121,000) US$.

Also in the north, in the beautiful area of Wadi Rajib, the Wadi Rajib Women Cooperative will implement the “Local Community in the Management of Wadi Rajib Eco-system” project.  The area is characterized by its magnificent scenery and abundant water which helped to form its special eco-system rich with biodiversity and abundance of indigenous species of forest and fruit trees which are significant in terms of agro-biodiversity.  The project aims at helping farmers and community members to take measures that conserve their lands and the quality of their agricultural products, propagating significant species of fruit trees which are indigenous in the area, such as figs, olives, pomegranates and grapes.  It will also contribute to the community livelihood as a result of improved agricultural productivity and improved irrigation efficiency, in addition to supporting several small income generating activities, such as bee- keeping, poultry raising, horses for plowing and establishment of nurseries to propagate above mentioned trees.  The value of this grant is (30,000) US$.

Moving to the south on the road form Karak governorate to Tafileh governorate, you will be faced by Al ‘Eina area which strikes you like a green oasis in the middle of the desert.  The availability of fresh water springs has contributed to the emergence of an integrated environmental agricultural ecosystem, which was able to support the livelihood of its owners from the surrounding villages over many decades.  However, consecutive draughty seasons and agricultural expansion and over use of available spring water led to degradation of the lands in the area which in turn led to deterioration of the quality and quantity of agricultural products, and negatively impacted the farmers’ income.  To address the situation, a previous SGP grant has supported That Ras Charity Society which is working in Al ‘Eina area.  To complement the work of the previous project and widen its impact, Al Barakeh Charity Society, Shqeira Charity society and Al Imtiyaz Cooperative will be implementing three integrated projects entitled “Water Efficiency to Enhance and Sustain Agricultural Productivity in Al ‘Eina Micro Ecosystem” project.  The projects include supporting farmers to adopt several procedures to upgrade efficiency of irrigation through the establishment of reservoirs to collect water flowing from the springs and using it outside the rotation time, connecting those reservoirs to effective irrigation systems and introduce soil conservation measures.  The three NGOs will also maintain irrigation channels to reduce losses, in addition to supporting some home gardens projects to support the women sector in Shqeira village.  The total value of the three grants amounts to (110,000) US$.

All above projects will include an element of awareness raising for the farmers and local community members in the field of environmental issues affecting their areas and projects.  They will also include an element of capacity building of implementing NGOs, which will enable them to provide support to their local communities.  The above NGOs will use a revolving loan system in supporting their various activities so they can continue providing support to more projects that serve their local communities.  

Signing those grant agreements, the GEF/SGP would have supported (108) projects implemented by more than 60 NGOs and local community in various areas of the Kingdom.  The Programme is hoping to continue providing support to local communities in Jordan and it is expected that US $ 600,000 will be allocated for this purpose during this year.  Therefore, the GEF/SGP calls on non-governmental organizations to familiarize themselves with previous experiences of SGP supported projects and to investigate the best means of dealing with environmental problems and situations of their communities.