News

Ms. Christine McNab, UNDP Resident Representative in Jordan and heads of the beneficiary non-governmental organizations (NGOs) signed today six grant agreements that support the implementation of environmental community projects worth around US$ 186,000. The grants fall within the activities of the Global Environment Facility/ Small Grants Programme (GEF/SGP) administered by the United Nations Development Programme.

The Natural Resource Management and Agro-biodiversity Protection in Bseira project will be implemented by Fatima Az Zahra’ Women Charity Society in Bseira, Tafileh governorate. The project aims at building the capacity of Bseira’s community, especially the women sector, in the field of integrated resource management, protection of agro-biodiversity important species and control of land degradation in a way that reflects positively on the household economy in the town.

Activities to be implemented under the project include training and implementation of small projects in the fields of agro-biodiversity protection, medicinal plants, dried fruits and jams production and marketing, gray water use and soil conservation measures for the purpose of rehabilitating orchards and home gardens in and around Bseira town. Support to the individual projects will be provided on a revolving loan basis, in order to insure sustainability of the project.

Situated over the remains of what used to be ancient Edom’s capital, Bseira is one of the Tafileh governorate small towns around Dana Nature Reserve falling under the same unique eco-system. Dana Nature Reserve will be providing technical assistance and support to Fatima Az Zahra’ Society in the implementation and follow up of this project. Grant value amounts to US$ 50,000.

“Integration of Local Community Needs & Conservation of Environmental and Agricultural Resources” in that Ras- Al Mazar Al Janoubi, Karak will be Implemented by Dhat Ras Social Development Society. The project will be implemented in Al ‘Eina area which constitutes a micro eco-system of special importance which has been subject to gradual degradation leading to a decrease in agricultural production of important agro-biodiversity special to the area, in turn leading to negative impacts on local community’s living situation.

Activities will include water harvesting and soil conservation measures in Al’Eina to upgrade the efficiency of using available water springs and rain water. Other components of the project will involve building the capacity of the NGO and the local community. Training and awareness activities will be conducted in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Faculty of Agriculture at Mu’tah University. The NGO will also use the revolving fund system to fund individual projects in order to broaden beneficiary base and insure sustainability. Grant value amounts to US$ 50,000.

Further south, the Jordan National Red Crescent in Aqaba will be implementing a project to protect Threatened Historical Trees in Aqaba. Destruction of historical indigenous trees has increased in Aqaba over the past few years on account of development projects in the city related to the upsurge of industrial and touristic investment in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone. The project aims at reducing threats to historical trees known in Aqaba, including the ziziphus spina-christi and the date palm phoenix dactylifera trees, among others, involving all sectors of the community and raising attention to the importance of these trees which are important biodiversity species.

Project activities include conducting a study to identify number and locations of the concerned trees in order to place them on the maps of Aqaba. The study will also collect historical information and stories kept in the memory of Aqaba’s community, and will document this information and use it in the awareness campaign which will be conducted to mobilize public involvement and support to protection activities. The project will be implemented in cooperation with official and community agencies and will hopefully constitute the preparatory phase for a larger effort to propagate and re-introduce indigenous threatened trees in Aqaba. Grant value amounts to US$ 12,800.

In north Azraq, right in the heart of north eastern Jordanian Badia, the North Azraq Women Society for Social Development will implement the “Eco-Packaging and Printing Pilot Project”. The project aims at creating more support for conservation efforts of the Azraq Wetland through the development of a pilot eco-packaging and printing project within Azraq area which would help to minimize poverty among the area’s inhabitants.

The project will develop a local industry of eco-packaging and printing, promote its products and create job opportunities in the area, especially for the women sector. The project will also strengthen relationship between Azraq Wetland Reserve and the local community of Azraq. Grant value amounts to US$ 42,400.

Also in North Azraq, a planning grant of US$ 2,000 is granted to the North Azraq Women Cooperative for the purpose of studying the feasibility of introducing gray water units at the household units for the purpose of re-using gray water for irrigation of certain plants, such as pumpkins, that can be used in handcrafts for sale in home gardens in order to decrease quantities of waste water that contaminate ground water in the ground water basin.

And in Deir Alla area in the Jordan Valley where unsustainable agricultural practices prevail, especially in irrigation methods, pesticide use and contamination of water sources, the Jordan Aqua Conservation Association will implement the “Environmental Awareness for Water Protection in Deir Alla Project”. The project will focus on creating awareness among local community sectors, including students and teachers, religious leaders and farmers in order to bring attention to the importance of preserving water resources in the Jordan Valley’s unique co-system and Jordan’s most important agricultural production area.

Water clubs will be formed in the schools of Deir Alla, a manual on water resources will be produced and distributed among school students. Lectures, field visits and other awareness activities will be conducted involving all target groups in the area. Support will also be provided to a small number of farms that suffer critical conditions, in order to introduce farmers to proper methods of farm management in a way that preserves water, reduces contamination and increases productivity and contributes to protecting the Jordan Valley’s environment in general.

The United Nations Development Programme has initiated the Small Grants Programme in Jordan and has been managing it since 1992. Signing the project agreements today, the Programme would have supported (97) projects in different parts of the country for a total value exceeding US$ 3 million. Supported projects under this Programme deal with issues of biodiversity protection, climate change control, protection of international waters and land degradation control, addressing at the same time environmental and livelihood problems of the local communities.