In a major stride towards water sustainability, Jordan’s Water Ministry partnered with the Food and Agriculture Organization to deal with the water scarcity in the NENA region. This agreement was signed by Water Minister Raed Abu Saud and FAO Representative Nabil Assaf, launching them into the Water Scarcity Initiative—a project aimed at dealing with the ongoing water crisis.

What’s the Deal?

Jordan faces, like many of its neighbors, acute shortages of fresh water, and long-term solutions are what this initiative is all about. Minister Abu Saud has outlined a country that is very keenly managing its very precious water resources and said he believes this initiative will be important in terms of water planning, sharing knowledge, and using water wisely, especially in agriculture.

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This will involve introducing practices that fully integrate water management at every level in Jordan’s use of the resource, increase good governance, and inject overall resilience into the delivery of water services. It’s about securing water resources, modern irrigation, adaptation to climate change, combined with regional cooperation.

This partnership, under the patronage of the Government of Jordan and supported by the FAO, aims at better governance of agricultural water management, increasing resilience within food systems, and adapting to the impacts of climate change on water services. “This agreement represents another step in the right direction toward a more sustainable and resilient future for Jordan and its people,” said Nabil Assaf of FAO.

The initiative is made up of 17 different outputs, ranging from strategic water management to unconventional water resources to knowledge exchange. And with a total budget of $31.5 million, Jordan will be actively participating in 15 of those outputs.

Making Inroads into Water Management

Interestingly enough, Jordan has taken several steps in respect of water conservation. For example, Jordan managed to reduce its agricultural water use to 51 percent of its total water use, a far cry from the global average of 85 percent. Nothing to sneeze at; that is proof that Jordan does indeed have the zeal for spearheading the fight against water shortages both regionally and globally.

A Regional Approach to a Global Problem

The whole initiative is about rallying national and regional stakeholders to work in conjunction. It is not just an issue of Jordan’s water problems, but how best to give a united regional front to better serve the water and food security situation in NENA. The expected outcome of the Water Scarcity Initiative is an improvement in cooperation, enhancement of the water services, and ultimate assurance of access to water by all despite the challenges of climate.

It ultimately will be a team effort toward which all of us need to plan, innovate, and work to secure Jordan’s—and the region’s—water future.

The Big Picture

Jordan’s partnership with the FAO is a major step toward water sustainability, with potential for a ripple effect throughout the region. It would be an exciting time in terms of looking ahead to modern solutions and regional cooperation for water innovation and resource management for NENA. So, here’s to a future wherein every drop count, and Jordan keeps piloting its way to devise sustainable solutions for water scarcity.