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Ammon News - The World Bank transferred $23.6 million to Jordan to finance part of a project that enhances the agricultural sector's ability to adapt to climate change.

The bank disbursed the first tranche of financing for the "Agriculture Resilience, Value Chain Development And Innovation (ARDI) Program" last January, et a value of $23.6 million out of the total project value of $125 million.

The US$125 Million Programme, approved by the Bank on September 29, aims to strengthen the development of Jordan’s agriculture sector by enhancing its climate resilience, increasing competitiveness and inclusion and ensuring medium- to long-term food security in line with Jordan’s National Sustainable Agriculture Plan and Vision for Economic Modernisation.

From 2022 to 2027, the programme will provide some 30,000 farming households with financing to adopt climate-smart and water-efficient agriculture practices, provide needs-based training, and generate about 12,000 job opportunities, focusing on Jordanian women and youth, the statement added. The programme will create economic opportunities for Syrian refugees.

The World Bank said that the agricultural food sector is one of the important sources of income and employment in Jordan, as about a quarter of the country's poor people and a large number of Syrian refugees depend on agriculture for their income.

Agriculture accounts for nearly 20% of the country's merchandise exports, yet only about half of the potential for exporting fruits and vegetables has been realized.

The ARDI programme is aimed at addressing critical challenges facing the sector along two pillars: "Climate Resilience and Sustainability" and "Competitiveness and Exports."
The Ministry of Agriculture, the National Agriculture Research Centre and the Agriculture Credit Corporation will implement the programme under a whole-of-government approach, involving other relevant line ministries and agencies.

The ARDI Programme is financed through a US$95.6 million contribution from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), a US$23.9 million grant from the Global Concessional Financing Facility (GCFF) and a US$5.5 million grant from the Partnership for Improving Prospects for Forcibly Displaced Persons and Host Communities (PROSPECTS), supported by the Netherlands.