Jordan is characterized by a severe scarcity of land and water, and fragmentation of land holdings, at present, agriculture contributes about 3% of the GDP, having declined steadily in both absolute and relative terms since the early 1990s. Of the overall land area of 88.7 million dunums (du), only about 4.3% (3.8 million du) are considered arable – of this about 84% is rained and the rest is irrigated. This situation is compounded by the scarcity of water – in the rained area, around 80% of the land receives less than 100mm rainfall per year, and the low per capita availability of renewable water (150 m3 in 2000) severely limits the potential for irrigation. At present, there are major concerns about the use of non‐renewable water resources and the over‐extraction of groundwater for irrigation, indicating an urgent need for water conserving agricultural methods. Even within the limited available land, there has been a decreasing trend in the land used for cereals. Land under ‘field crops’ (cereals, pulses, tobacco and vegetables) has fallen steadily (over 32% from 1992‐2001), while that under fruit trees and olives has increased (about 64% from 1992‐2001). This is attributed to increasing urbanization, which has disproportionately reduced the land that is suitable for field crops, and the increasing fragmentation of land holdings, since wheat cultivation is not economically viable on holdings below a minimum size. The limited availability of water and land suitable for grain cultivation indicates that even with incentives and the best available farming technology, Jordan will continue to need to import the bulk of its grain requirement. In addition, the potential for a subsistence based model of food security, where increased farm production of cereals could take care of at least the farming household’s own requirements, would also appear to be limited.

Therefore, strategic interventions would need to address improvements in grain procurement from the world market, its storage and distribution; sustainable and water conserving ways to improve yield; and increasing the value of the small farmers’ production of fruits and vegetables to boost their income, so as to enable them to buy cereals from the market.

The threat of food insecurity promises to reverse progress made to date towards achieving the MDGs, by aggravating the already existing gaps and further affecting vulnerable groups. In July 2009, UNDP in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture led the coordination of meetings with representative of the key relevant government institutions involved in food security to develop a joint programme on Food and Nutrition Security. A number of meetings took place with participation of partner UN agencies, the outcome of which was agreement on a framework for food security in Jordan, mapping of ongoing and planned government initiatives accordingly and establishment of a High Level National Committee on Food Security. The national framework was based on the Comprehensive Framework for Action (CFA), a consensus document published by the SG’s High Level Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis in July 2008, however customized to fit the Jordanian situation. UNDP

The joint program provides credible, coherent assistance to the government based on the CFA. The ongoing and planned initiatives of the various partners (including Government) are grouped together in terms of their contribution to each part of the framework. Each component will include some degree of research and analysis to ensure proper design. In addition, a monitoring and assessment system will be established to monitor changes in the situation, and also for effective implementation.

The four outcomes of the joint programme are: National food security response is enhanced and coordinated, Small-holder farmer sustainable food production is enhanced, Nutrition interventions and safety nets enhanced and made more accessible and Sustainable livelihoods and food security of the poor are enhanced/improved.

The responsible and implementing partners include: Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Health, Department of Statistics, Coordination Commission for Social Solidarity, National Centre for Agricultural Research and Extension, Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO), and Jordan Alliance Against Hunger (JAAH).

The joint programme will be implemented at the national and local levels. UN agencies participating in the programme are: UNDP, UNICEF, UNIDO, and WFP. Each agency will support the implementation of designated activities in collaboration with government agencies/NGOs.