Newsletter January, February & March 2014

Arab Organizations Reject Interference of the FAO in the Decisions of the Arab Regional Forum on Food Security in Tunisia

Arab organizations in addition to the APN rejected the intervention of the FAO in the outcomes of the regional forum on " Agriculture and Food Security and the Sustainability of Production Systems”, which was held in Tunisia and organized by the Tunisian Syndicate of Farmers (SYNAGRI) on February 4th and 5th in 2014.

APN is Leading a Working Group of the Global Civil Society Mechanism around Food Insecurity in Protracted Crises

APN led the Open Ended Working Group Meeting of the Committee on World Food Security on Food Insecurity in Protracted Crises, which was held at the headquarters of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on the 5th and 6th  of March, 2014  in Rome. The meeting was attended by member countries as well as international organizations and the private sector.

Head of APN Gives a Lecture at Jawaharlal Nehru University in India

The Chair of APN, Razan Zuayter, was invited to give a lecture during a dialogue on access to natural resources, well-being of masses and the promotion of sustainable agriculture

The Signing of a New Agreement to Cultivate 17,000 Seedlings and Dig Three Collective Wells

APN and the Palestinian Agricultural Farmers Union (PAFU) signed a cooperation agreement to cultivate 17,000 seedlings in the villages of the Palestinian rift valley in an area of 400 donums for the benefit of 300 farming families, and the establishment of three pools of agricultural capacity to store 9,000 cubic meters, and the extension of systems for drip irrigation .APN, with PAFU and the Welfare Association have also recently completed the planting of 7,000 seedlings (olive, almond, grape, guava, citrus, figs, pomegranate) within the project "Plants of the Nation" and funded by the Welfare Association.

APN Planted 450 Fruit Trees in Partnership with Schools and the BCI Company in the Garden of Dignity (Hadeeqat Al-Karamah) in Dulayl

For mother’s day festivities in 2014 and within the Green Caravan program, APN with a group of volunteers and a group of students from the Manhal School and their parents launched a campaign on the 22nd of March to cultivate a public park in the province of Zarka in the town of Dulayl in the Municipality of the West of Halabat.

APN Provides Farmers in the Village of Ein Hijleh in the Palestinian Rift Valley with 150 Trees

APN provides the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee with 150 trees, to be planted in the village of Ein Hijleh, in the Palestinian rift valley, and by the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC).

APN planted 157 trees in Um Omar Garden in Sweileh

As part of the Green Caravan Campaign, APN planted 157 trees in Sweileh for mother’s day festivities on the 29th of March in 2014. A group of APN volunteers, students from the Arab Model School, and a group of engineers and agricultural workers from the municipality participated in the event. The event comes as the beginning of a series of joint agricultural projects between GAM and APN.

APN implements a project to support needy students at Birzeit University

Within the campaign to plant one million trees in the Palestine, APN cultivated olive trees at Birzeit University in celebration of Earth Day and in support the of the university’s fund for poor students. APN worked closely with the Office of Collaborative Work at Birzeit University to complete the project.

Cultivation of Aida Refugee Camp on Palestinian Land Day

In celebration of Palestinian Land Day which marks the 30th of March of each year, APN in partnership with Refutrees, an activist environmental group, planted 50 fruit trees (lemon, orange, apple, pomegranate, almond) in the Aida refugee camp in the Bethlehem area.

APN reshaping the relationship between the tree and the mother

APN launched a mother’s day campaign in the month of March while trying to create a relationship between the tree and the mother within the campaign’s activities. The campaign began with a series of lectures and workshops that were offered to school students as part of the If You Know Campaign that is focused on information about the environment and its problems in Jordan and Palestine such as drought, desertification, and water pollution. 

APN reshaping the relationship between the tree and the mother

APN launched a mother’s day campaign in the month of March while trying to create a relationship between the tree and the mother within the campaign’s activities. The campaign began with a series of lectures and workshops that were offered to school students as part of the If You Know Campaign that is focused on information about the environment and its problems in Jordan and Palestine such as drought, desertification, and water pollution. 

APN Grows Trees Bearing the Names of 113 Displaced Villages in the Northern Jordan Valley

In a joint effort with the Stop the JNF campaign, the Anti-apartheid Wall Campaign, and the Palestinian Agricultural Farmers Union, 113 trees were planted in Al Hamma and Ain Al Beida areas and in the northern Jordan Valley, coinciding with the 113 anniversary of the establishment of the Jewish National Fund. 

Let’s Plant in Madaba!

As part of APN’s Green Caravan Campaign that aims to shed light on marginalized areas at risk of desertification and urban sprawl, and to promote the principles of food sovereignty, the caravan headed to Madaba on the 26th of March in 2014 with the aim of planting 1000 fruitful trees in celebration of Global Earth Day.

A Workshop to Train Volunteers on Presentation Skills

APN held a workshop on the 22nd of February in 2014 in the offices of APN to train volunteers on presentation skills. The workshop was facilitated by APN volunteers Sonia Ziadeh and Mohammad Qteishat. The workshop focused on providing the volunteers with important skills that will help them give environmental awareness lectures in schools such as how to communicate with students of different age groups. Later each participant gave a presentation and they were given constructive feedback.

Workshop for Environmental Awareness at the Amman Baccalaureate School

APN held a workshop for environmental awareness at the Amman Baccalaureate School. It lasted three weeks, beginning in the first week of March with one session every week.  APN volunteers Bilal Hjeer and Yousef Maraka facilitated the sessions.

APN Participates at the Mother’s day Bazaar at the Four Seasons Hotel

APN participated in the mother’s day bazaar at the Four Seasons Hotel were Jordanian and Egyptian products were being sold.

APN Wins Best Participant at the Mother’s Day Bazaar at the Montessori School

APN was awarded for having the best idea and display during its participation at the mother’s day festival at the Montessori School Festival, which was held on the 30th of March in 2014. APN volunteers Ahmad Gharabli, Qais Alhanti, Farah Abd el-Jawad, Sameh Hihja participated through marketing and selling products. Proceeds went towards planting more than 130 tree.

Interview on Jordan TV to Talk about APN’s Mother's Day Campaign

Samar Gharayba, who hosts the New Day program on Jordan TV hosted Farah Qaddourah and Dana Jadallah of APN and Leen Karat, a student at the Arab Model School, and they spoke about APN’s mother’s day campaign that was launched in March of 2014.

APN asks participants to use the Arabic language during Forest Week activities in the Arab Region

A delegation from APN participated in Forest Week for the Near East, which was held in Amman in the period between January 26th and 28th. The activities were sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

The Arab Network for Food Sovereignty Participates in a Workshop on Indicators of Land Tenure

Mr. Jamal Talab, the Director-General of the Land Research Center (LRC) in Palestine, participated in a workshop on the indicators of land tenure which was held in Rome on the 21st and 22nd of February in 2014.

A Delegation from APN investigates Monsanto Farms

A delegation from APN made up of Mrs. Razan Zuayter, Mr. Bashar Zaitoun, and Miss Rand Wehbeh made visits to Monsanto farms in the Jordan Valley on the 23rd of February in 2014, and they were accompanied by a delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture. The purposes of the visits were to follow up on developments on the subject of genetically modified organisms.

APN Participates in a Regional Workshop for Capacity Building on the Subject of Financial Management

APN’s Farah Qaddourah and Mohammad Qteishat participated in a regional training workshop organized by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Office of West Asia on the 29th  and 31st of January in 2014 at the Landmark Hotel in Amman.

A Meeting between APN and PARC in Gaza

APN met with Mr. Tayseer Muheisen, Deputy Director of Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC) at the headquarters of APN on February 13th in 2014 to develop a mechanism to support Palestinian farmers in the Gaza Strip within the Million Trees Campaign in Palestine. The MTC was able to cultivate more than 5000 fruit trees during the past year in Gaza.

A Lecture on World Water Day

APN collaborated with Oxfam, the Late Hashim Abdullah Qtaishat Development  Association, Salt School, the Caritas Committee, the Islamic Charity Center, and the Provincial Brigade Ain Al-Basha  in organizing a symposium to raise awareness about the water situation in Jordan to Syrian and Jordanian families in the areas of Salt and Safout. The lecture given by APN focused on mechanisms to rationalize water consumption.

APN Participates in a Workshop on Green Economy and sustainable Production and Consumption

APN volunteer Yazan Abu Jbara participated in a workshop on green economy and sustainable production and consumption, which was held with the support of the European Union, the United Nations Environmental Program, and Horizon 2020 on the 25th  and 26th  of March at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Amman.

Committee Meeting on Agricultural Policies

In a series of regular meetings to set policies at APN, a meeting was held on the 25th of January in 2014 were the committee discussed the contents of a booklet which APN intends to publish with the aim of introducing the themes of food security and food sovereignty. A team made up of APN members Mariam Al Jaajaa, Farah Al-Haddad, and Bashar Zaitoun was formed to prepare the booklet.  

Naql el Bahrain Project at the Red Sea

APN participated in a meeting about the Naql el Bahrain project at the Red Sea that was held on the 3rd of January in 2014 in the Chamber of Commerce building. It was organized by of the Friends of the Environment and the Union of Jordanian Environmental Associations.

Recognition Ceremony and Farewell to Hadeel Bilbaisi and Karmel Abourah

APN gathered for a ceremony to honor, and say goodbye to volunteers Hadeel el-Balbasi and Karmel Abourah  on the 24th of January in 2014.  A group of APN volunteers gathered with Mrs. Razan Zuayter and they presented Hadeel and Karmel with a souvenir photo signed by all the volunteers in honor of their efforts during APN activities.