AMMAN — As part of its continued efforts to strengthen climate resilience in Jordan’s agricultural sector, UNDP Jordan conducted a field visit to Tafileh to monitor progress under the Building Resilience to Cope with Climate Change through Improving Water Use Efficiency in the Agriculture Sector in the Dead Sea Basin (BRCCJ) project.

 

During the visit, the programme team met with beneficiary households and farmers benefiting from rooftop rainwater harvesting systems, which enable the harvesting of rainwater that would otherwise be lost, according to a UNDP Jordan statement.

 

To date, these systems have helped harvest over 20 cubic metres of rainwater over the past week, contributing to improved water security, reduced farming costs, and more sustainable livelihoods.

 

One of the project beneficiaries, Hamza Sawalqa, highlighted the impact of the intervention, saying: “Rainwater harvesting wells should be established in every rural household due to their significant benefits for farmers. In the past, I was unable to irrigate all the trees on my farm because of water scarcity and high costs.”

 

“Today, I expect that harvesting rainwater will provide enough water to meet my agricultural needs, and I am already working on increasing the number of trees I grow thanks to the availability of water from this well,” Sawalqa added.

 

The field visit also provided an opportunity to assess implementation progress on the ground and to hear directly from communities about how climate-resilient water solutions are supporting agricultural production and strengthening resilience to climate change.

 

The BRCCJ project is funded by the Green Climate Fund and implemented by UNDP Jordan, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and national counterparts, including the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, and Ministry of Water and Irrigation.