Elizabeth Whitman has written a fascinating piece about the rise and challenges of
urban agriculture in Jordan:
A slowly but steadily growing phenomenon in Jordan, urban agriculture
has vast potential for reducing poverty and improving food security, and
it has the added benefit of greening and cleaning up more rundown
sections of cities...
Although gardening at home was not new in Jordan, GAM’s programme aimed
at making it more widespread and efficient by helping people start
gardens in their homes – even giving them the materials to do so – and
holding trainings to teach them how to grow as much as possible at a
minimal cost...
In the third most water-scarce country in the world, expending precious
water on household plants may seem like a luxury Jordanians cannot
afford. So GAM has also been teaching urban agriculturalists efficient
water usage through grey water recycling systems, irrigation techniques,
and rainwater catchment...
The success in Amman has paved the way for other cities to take up
similar projects. Eighty-two percent of Jordan’s population is urban,
which means the vast majority of the population could become involved in
urban agriculture and reap the same benefits -extra income, better food
security and access to fresh produce.
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