APN | Amman

24 September 2024

Mariam Al Jaajaa, APN General Manager, stated that food sovereignty is essential for achieving political sovereignty and the capacity to shape our destiny as peoples and nations. She made this statement during the book launch of "Re-rooting: Self Determination and Autonomous Practices", organised by Darat al-Funun. Al Jaajaa contributed to the book with an article titled "Enhancing Food Sovereignty Begins with Confronting the Roots of Agricultural Neglect".

Al Jaajaa highlighted the importance of examining the historical transformations that have impacted the agricultural sector, leading to rural neglect, in order to identify ways to support the agricultural and local sectors in rural communities where poverty and unemployment are prevalent.

The GDP has not returned to its pre-reform levels, and the temporary increases in GDP are attributed to non-productive sectors such as housing.

She pointed out that while the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank view Jordan as a model for the reform process, the outcomes resulting from reducing agricultural subsidies have fallen short of expectations for prosperity and poverty alleviation. The GDP has yet to recover to its levels prior to the reforms, and the temporary rises in GDP have been linked to non-productive sectors like housing.

Al Jaajaa stressed that Jordan currently uses only about 12% of its arable land for crop and livestock production, with agriculture's direct contribution to GDP decreasing from 40% in the mid-1950s to approximately 5-6%. Nevertheless, it remains the main source of income for 75% of rural and Bedouin communities.

She expressed pride in APN's achievement of supporting approximately 12,000 Jordanian farmers and planting 3 million trees in Palestine, stating "We are eager to begin the fourth million in support of Palestinian farmers' resilience against the occupation".

She highlighted that the “Revive Gaza’s Farmland” project was a response to the systematic war of starvation instigated by the occupation, which aims to eradicate Gazans by destroying agricultural facilities in Gaza.

It is worth noting that Darat al-Funun launched the book "Re-rooting", which provides insights into various interventions, practices, and local projects designed to achieve independence from prevailing industrial systems. The book also aims to enhance our right to self-determination in environmental, agricultural, and water matters. The book launch event highlighted the agricultural reality in Jordan and Palestine, wheat cultivation in Jordan, urban policies, and challenges in visual documentation of nature and water.