Al-Anbat  -Mahmoud Alayyat 

The Minister of Agriculture, Eng. Khaled Hanifat, launched the first phase of the Dutch agricultural support project in cooperation with the National Center for Agricultural Research and the Cooperative and Agricultural Extension Corporation, funded by the Dutch government.

Al-Hanaifat indicated that the importance of this project is in introducing modern technologies in agriculture by adopting smart agriculture in facing climate challenges and supporting small farmers, in addition to building the capacities of agricultural extension agents, which will reflect positively on the agricultural sector and bring about agricultural development.  The structure of the sector and the achievement of a direct renaissance that simulates the economic vision indicators in the rehabilitation of extension cadres and the transfer of modern technology in light of climate changes and the mechanisms of adaptation to them and the achievement of food security.

The Director General of the National Center for Agricultural Research, Dr. Nizar Haddad, indicated that the National Center for Agricultural Research, since its inception, has sought to find solutions to the challenges facing the agricultural sector, especially those related to climate, water, energy, and agriculture, as the National Center for Agricultural Research will train agricultural extension agents and farmers on the most important smart agricultural practices and harness  Agricultural innovation through the incubator for agricultural innovation and agricultural entrepreneurship, which will have a clear reflection on adopting entrepreneurial ideas and translating them into pilot projects applied on the ground.

Engineer Bakr Al-Balawneh, Assistant Secretary-General for Agricultural Extension Affairs, said that the extension sector will be a pioneer in the next stage, as the ministry has provided extension directorates with modern vehicles for extension agents, in addition to a tablet that will be equipped with smart agricultural programs to meet agricultural challenges.

Lamia Al-Dabbas, Regional Director of Advance Consulting, said that the Dutch agricultural support project for Jordan - the second, funded by the Dutch government and implemented by FAL Consulting and Management Services (Advance Consulting), aims to achieve balance for climate change, and apply the concept of climate-smart agriculture, in addition to contributing to  Increasing the gross domestic product in the agricultural sector and raising the rate of employment and investment.  The project will be implemented over a period of four years, starting from 2023 to 2026, in partnership with the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture - Directorate of Agricultural Extension, the National Center for Agricultural Research and the Jordanian Cooperative Corporation. In addition, the project targeted 1,300 small and medium farmers in the Kingdom to develop their agricultural capabilities and encourage the use of agricultural means.  This is in addition to developing the capabilities of 100 agricultural extension workers in the Ministry of Agriculture on climate-smart farming methods, and raising the awareness of 75,000 consumers and farmers on the production and consumption of healthy food.

Al-Dabbas indicated that the project consists of three main components: future agriculture, business development, access to finance, environmental support and raising awareness for consumers.  Through the future agriculture component, the performance of 1,300 farmers will be improved to be more efficient in dealing with the environment and climate changes, and agricultural practices will be developed to raise the efficiency of agricultural production at the farm level, as well as enabling farmers to access financing and markets and encouraging the use of agricultural innovations.  As for the second component, a set of grants will be provided to private sector companies that are part of the agricultural value chains to improve the services provided to farmers.  As for the last component, the awareness of 75,000 consumers and farmers will be raised on the production and consumption of healthy food.