Amman: Mercy Corps is carrying out the Jordan HortiFuture Program, a comprehensive initiative designed to improve the income opportunities and long-term resilience of smallholder farmers in Balqa, Irbid, Ajloun, and the Jordan Valley, as well as to strengthen the horticulture sector as a whole along the entire value chain.
In order for women, youth, and refugees to benefit from the project’s services and for smallholder farmers to increase the caliber and productivity of their agricultural endeavors, it aims to guarantee inclusivity and integration of these groups.
Mercy Corps is conducting the HortiFuture Program in collaboration with Wageningen University and Research (WUR) and Advance Consulting. The program is being generously financed by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with an allocation of roughly JD5 million dinars.
HortiFuture’s project manager, Tala Al-Momani, stressed that the project is essential to helping Jordanian smallholder farmers embrace sound agricultural practices and pro
vide agricultural services. This is the result of an extensive training program that has reached over 5,000 smallholder farmers in the locations that are being targeted.
Furthermore, the project has provided these farmers with new agricultural technologies, including methods for water gathering, organic fertilizing, irrigation networks, and harvesting equipment. This has been made possible by the awarding of 100 minor grants.
Al-Momani told Jordan News Agency (Petra) that the project also makes interest-free loans available to roughly 300 smallholder farmers via the Agricultural Credit Corporation (ACC), expands their options for securing funding, and improves the efficiency of agricultural businesses.
The Olive Festival, which is a major marketing platform for Jordanian farmers, was funded by the project in association with the National Agricultural Research Center (NARC), one of its noteworthy accomplishments. The recent celebration helped the monarchy sell around 25 percent of its olive and olive oil pr
oduction.
In addition, the program tirelessly collaborated with the Jordan Olive Products Exporters Association (JOPEA) to create a niche brand for aged olive oil. The objective of this endeavor was to certify aged olive oil as a niche commodity and encourage olive growers to implement sustainable farming methods. In collaboration with smallholder farmers, the association introduced the “Ateeq” product, which enabled them to get a price that was 38 percent greater than the market value.
Al-Momani also stated that the initiative worked to build innovative goods that directly correspond to the requirements of farmers and increase the links between the smallholder farmer and the market. The project awarded six grants to develop agricultural commercial services.
By strengthening donor-implementer coordination, growing the National Agricultural Research Center’s (NARC) laboratory facilities, and collaborating with the Agricultural Extension Directorate to improve services and increase awareness of the value of
preserving soil health on about 150 farms, the project also improved the enabling environment for the agricultural sector.
Source: Jordan News Agency