Why are we farming in the Jordan Valley?

Short Answer:  
To show new ideas to poor farmers to help them produce better crops.

Long Answer:
Jordan is classified as one of the ten most water scarce countries in the world with less than 5% of its land capable of producing any kind of food.  For farmers, this extreme environment severely restricts crop yield meaning less produce to sell and eat.  The rural poor live with the threat of hunger and food insecurity.  Jordan’s rural poor have little opportunity to try new farm products because the consequence of failure can be catastrophic.  Worsening soil and water quality and the fact that many do not own land excludes many small farmers from access to loans that could help them to improve their livelihoods.  Rural households also tend to be very large, often with 8 or more members under a single roof depending on a single source of income, the family farm.

Operation Mercy Jordan is intervening in the cycle of poverty to offer access to solutions for dealing with this challenging situation.  We are doing this by working with community based groups to offer  hands-on demonstration in the irrigated farming areas most severely affected by land and water degradation.  We are privileged to work alongside the men and women who are struggling to provide food for themselves and for Jordan. 

We have chosen to farm in the Jordan Valley because we believe that the best way to combat poverty in agricultural areas is to assist farmers in producing more food at a lower cost in an environmentally responsible way. We are doing that by demonstrating, at scale, innovative management practices and new crops.