Khaberni - Since His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein assumed his constitutional powers, His Majesty emphasizes on every occasion that entrepreneurship and innovation are not luxury, but a national necessity to boost the Jordanian economy and provide job opportunities for the youth. He also emphasizes the importance of genuine support for the entrepreneurship sector and overcoming the obstacles facing it, in cooperation between the public and private sectors, which contributes to creating sustainable job opportunities and reducing poverty and unemployment.
The vision of economic modernization is the comprehensive framework for this approach, where entrepreneurship and innovation represent the bridge that carries Jordan towards the future through developing a creative environment and transforming ideas into realistic projects that contribute to economic growth and enhance local production. Here, agricultural entrepreneurship emerges as one of the most important axes of change in Jordan, being a strategic opportunity to enhance food security and empower youth and women, and achieve sustainability in light of environmental and climate challenges, which are based on the development of innovative agricultural projects through the introduction of modern methods in production, marketing, and pest control with a focus on efficiency and optimal use of natural resources.
Despite the limited resources and scarcity of water, Jordan possesses potentials in the agricultural sector especially with the increasing trend towards digital transformation and modern technologies. Many official and private entities have started supporting entrepreneurial initiatives for youth projects aimed at developing agriculture through innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainability, including smart agriculture, organic farming, agricultural recycling, hydroponics, aeroponics, and others. Agricultural entrepreneurship plays a key role in addressing the challenges of food security and climate change, through introducing technologies like artificial intelligence, internet of things, and remote sensing to manage water and soil and enhance agricultural production efficiency.
Entrepreneurs contribute to the development of food manufacturing as an added value to local products, supporting the economy and reducing reliance on imports. This sector also stands out in transforming agricultural entrepreneurship projects into platforms for incubating ideas and turning them into sustainable projects that enhance productivity and reduce costs. Associations, youth initiatives, Jordanian universities, the National Center for Agricultural Research, and civil society institutions contribute to spreading the culture of agricultural entrepreneurship and developing various programs and providing training, guidance, technical support, and partial financing whenever possible.
And despite what has been mentioned, there are still challenges, chief among them the difficulty in obtaining financing, weak infrastructure in rural areas, lack of specialized practical training, in addition to the need to develop legislations regulating agricultural entrepreneurship and aligning efforts between relevant entities to streamline procedures and support this innovation and entrepreneurship.
In conclusion
Investing in technology, education, empowerment, entrepreneurship, and innovation is the key to building a strong and innovative agricultural future, capable of creating job opportunities and enhancing food security. Agricultural entrepreneurship has become a national necessity to face environmental and economic challenges, a lever for sustainable development and self-sufficiency in food with the need for a unified umbrella to adopt and support entrepreneurial agricultural projects to keep Jordan as its leader envisioned it, a productive and creative nation in all fields of development.
#Supporting the Jordanian farmer is a national duty that surpasses all other duties because it is the main arm of food security
