3 MoUs signed as part of Jordan HortiFuture Project

AMMAN — Three Memoranda of Understanding were signed between Mercy Corps and the three arms of the Agriculture Ministry — research, credit and cooperative units — as part of the Jordan HortiFuture Project at the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) on Tuesday.

The Jordan HortiFuture Project aims towards a horticulture sector in the Kingdom that is inclusive, entrepreneurial, sustainable and resilient for smallholder farmers in addition to witnessing smallholder farmers with increased income and resilience in a better performing horticulture value chain, according to a statement made available to The Jordan Times.

The three-year project will be funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and implemented by Mercy Corps in collaboration with Advance Consulting and Wageningen University & Research (WUR), the statement said.

In his speech, Agriculture Minister Khalid Hneifat expressed his pride in the networking and cooperation between the three arms of the Ministry that specialise in research, credit and cooperatives to advance the agricultural sector and promote sustainable development and support smallholder farmers by adopting sustainable pilot projects, through good agricultural practices and the introduction of modern technologies, the statement said.

Harry Verweij, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, said: “The Netherlands believes that true development can only be achieved with input from all four stakeholders. This project will focus mainly on addressing the root causes and challenges of Jordanian smallholder farmers but will also contribute to the agricultural sector as a whole.”

NARC Director General Nizar Haddad said: “These projects will be based on research studies from experts through consumer demand in the market and the creation of high value products that will reduce marketing challenges.”

Mercy Corps Country Director Darius Radcliffe, said: “Jordan HortiFuture aims to increase the productivity and quality of smallholder farm horticulture activities by helping farmers integrate best practices for cultivation and post-harvest, introducing small farm-appropriate technologies in the form of asset transfers, and providing training on good agricultural practices.”