Archives for November 2022

From Aqaba to Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt, the Sahara Forest Project presents its pioneering experience in the field of environmental technologies in new ways to produce sustainable food, water and clean energy at the UN Climate Change Summit “COP27” held in Egypt. The Sahara Forest Project is present at COP27, co-organizing one of the 156 pavilions inside the Blue Zone.  Many
leaders and heads of state from around the world is attending.
The Sahara Forest Project in Aqaba has contributed to producing 220 tons of climate-smart
vegetables, and exporting of about 300 kg to Norway since its opening in 2017, according to the
technology used to re-cultivate arid lands using seawater and solar energy to produce vegetables
that can enhance the Kingdom’s ability to achieve food security.
SFP Media Advisor Jassar Al-Tahat says that the project is located in Aqaba, Jordan
and we will transfer the experience that we have learned during the past five years to all the
influencers in the world through COP27, by presenting the project officials to this idea, which
has proven its efficacy and feasibility, in providing solutions to achieve food security and save
water used for agriculture in addition to increasing the quantities of food production, as the
subsequent experimental period, which lasted for five years, demonstrated that the production of
climate-smart vegetables is a concept that can be developed and applied in Jordan.
The Sahara Forest project represents a unique example of the Jordanian-Norwegian partnership
present in Aqaba, Jordan, since it was inaugurated by His Majesty the King in 2017, and is now
in the stage of upgrading to commercial levels of production, waiting for the sea water pipeline
tender project submitted by the Aqaba Development Corporation at the end of the past year.
UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) representative in Jordan Nabil Assaf considered
the project as promising, in which sea water after desalination is used in agriculture and at the
same time increases the green cover in the surrounding areas, noting that the challenge is the cost
of all of this, calling on the banking sector and the private sector to pay attention to this project.
The project targets land cultivation with various types of fruits and crops and the project relies in
all its production stages on clean energy “solar energy”, as many solar power plants will be
established in the region, sea water desalination plants, and water pipes will be laid directly from
the Red Sea to the project area and making use of the water produced by the desalination in
agricultural irrigation and expanding in greening the area subject to further desertification.
The Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said that he remembers very well the first time
he heard about the Sahara Forest Project, as he was present during the very first signing ceremony Jordan in 2011, adding that “I’ve been following this project ever since I visited
Jordan as a foreign minister back in 2011, and I’m so pleased that Norway is announcing that it
will continue supporting the Sahara Forest project in Aqaba.” Støre liked the vegetables that was
served as he ate two whole peppers, three cucumbers and six tomatoes. Norway’s Ambassador to Jordan Espen Lindbæck said that this project provides another example
of the deep cooperation between Jordan and Norway in facing the climate challenges that not
only our countries but the entire world face, stressing that Norway like the rest of the countries is
striving to reach sustainable, alternative and non-traditional solutions for the exploitation of
resources, and the Sahara project is one of these integrated sustainable solutions and practices.
The project focuses on training initiatives for Jordanian youth on modern agricultural
technology, as it has trained 120 graduates from Al-Hussein Technical University two years ago
in the field of agricultural technology to ensure having job opportunities in this field and to help
reach food security and represents a vivid example of agricultural technology solutions that can
be applied in Jordan.
President of Al-Hussein Technical University Ismail Al-Huneiti said that our journey at Al-
Hussein Technical University with this project began two years ago, when we started a training
program in the field of agricultural technology so that the program will be offered by the
university and practical application is actually implemented, and currently we are adding on this
effort with training more than 120 male and female students from the university in different
fields covering agricultural technology, which opens the door for them to get job opportunities in
this field, adding that the agricultural and environmental sectors are empowering female
graduates to find job opportunities for themselves in the labor market, by launching the She Grows Network.
Lilian Haddad from EcoYouth said that we usually work on topics that
contribute to empowering women in the environmental field, stressing that with the efforts of
some women and female graduates, we have worked to establish a network called "She is
Planting" and brought together all the women and female graduates of the Sahara project to work
on connecting between the network and the various environmental and agricultural sectors and
authorities.
The project was mentioned in the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in
one of the most important reports on climate change and the environment, which referred to the
project as a solution for the future in tackling climate change, and water, food and energy
security.