Ammon News - The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) launched on Wednesday, Smart Development of Eco-Friendly Solutions and Economic Regional Agricultural Techniques (Smart Desert) project, to support a number of agricultural projects in the northern Badia region.

The project, funded by the French Development Agency (AfD), aims to improve income and conditions of Jordanians and Syrian refugees working in the agricultural sector in the governorates of Mafraq, Zarqa and Irbid.


The IUCN's project manager, Ali Hayajneh, said it seeks to create new job opportunities in the agricultural sector, improve the working conditions of its farmers and workers in the northeastern Badia regions, and integrate smart technologies to develop the agricultural sector in all stages of production and product supply chains to the consumer.

The project, he said, also eyes to raise efficiency of water use in agriculture and strengthen community resilience by stimulating local economic growth.


The project, which was launched in a ceremony held in the Greater Mafraq Municipality, will provide support for 500 household and agricultural projects and 200 farms in the northern Badia, according to Hayajneh.


The project, he noted, will be implemented under the IUCN's leadership, within a consortium of organizations bringing together Inter-Islamic Network on Water Resources Development and Management (INWRDAM), in partnership with Greentech, a company specializing in energy efficiency and WEF nexus, Blumont International, an International NGO that works for the benefit of refugees and host populations, and Horizons for Green Development (HGD), a Jordanian NGO whose mission is to support the sustainable development of communities, and National Agricultural Research Center (NARC).