Sector Plan for Agricultural Extension 2024 - 2030.

This Agricultural Extension Plan 2024-2030, developed by the Ministry of Agriculture, underscores the vital role of extension services in supporting the agricultural sector. Aligned with the National Sustainable Development Plan (2022-2025), the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Economic Modernization Vision, the Plan aims to deliver high-quality extension services to farmers and rural communities. It seeks to enhance productivity, boost incomes, and strengthen the resilience of the agricultural sector in the face of climate change and resource limitations. The Plan was shaped through collaboration with stakeholders from the private sector, public sector, and NGOs, who jointly identified challenges and created a shared vision for the extension system's development. As part of the reform, Jordan is transitioning to a more demand-driven, digitally enhanced extension system that integrates private sector engagement and focuses on water efficiency and competitiveness. The plan includes hiring 300 additional extension officers and draws on successful partnerships with FAO, IFAD, WFP, and NARC to promote agricultural innovation. The Plan targets a broad range of farmers, focusing on small and medium-sized operations, women farmers, Syrian refugees, and marginalized groups. Its goals include enhancing production systems, income, and skills in climate-smart agriculture for small and medium farmers; integrating rural women into value chains and building their technical and entrepreneurial skills; improving the economic resilience and livelihoods of Syrian refugees; and supporting marginalized groups by promoting social integration, independent agricultural projects, and economic participation.
The main objectives of the Plan are (i) develop a more integrated and efficient agricultural extension system by coordinating services between public and private providers, establishing a Center of Excellence, creating unified training curricula, forming an advisory committee, and organizing collaborative field schools; (ii) enable inclusive participation in extension services through demand-driven training programs for youth, women, and marginalized groups, providing modern techniques training, and empowering farmers based on regional agricultural needs; (iii) promote the adoption of modern, climate-smart technologies, focusing on partnerships with the private sector to implement field schools, linking technology school graduates to interest-free loans, promoting cooperative extension, creating a digital platform, and digitally documenting farmer holdings; (iv) enhance institutional and individual capacities, strengthening extension personnel, implement climate-smart agricultural practices, restructure the extension sector, institutionalize digital extension, and build stronger connections between research and extension through a consulting unit and strategic partnerships.
The Plan addresses several cross-cutting issues essential to its success, focusing on women, refugees, digital extension, and sustainability (i) Gender Inclusion: Recognizing the significant yet informal role of women in Jordan’s agricultural sector, the Plan aims to enhance their formal involvement by developing gender-responsive training programs. It targets 20% of rural women, with the goal of training at least 2,400 women — 38% of female landholders — to strengthen their capacity to address agricultural challenges, particularly climate change; (ii) Refugee Participation: The Plan acknowledges the challenges faced by refugees and seeks to improve their livelihoods by integrating them into the agricultural sector. Through targeted extension programs, it aims to train 1,200 refugees, equipping them with skills and job opportunities to build resilience; (iii) Digital Extension: To modernize agricultural extension services, the Plan emphasizes the use of information and communication technology. Key initiatives include developing a digital interactive platform, engaging farmers via social media, and digitally documenting farmer holdings; (iv) Sustainability: Environmental sustainability is a core element of the Plan, focusing on climate-smart agricultural practices, water-saving technologies, and resource conservation. By promoting sustainable practices such as organic farming, crop diversification, and improved water management, the Plan aims to boost long-term agricultural productivity and resilience to climate change, contributing to food security.