Jordan is in the part of the world where farming began. Ninety percent of the country receives less than 25 centimetres of rain a year. Without the farmers it would revert to desert. Down the centuries they were ingenious at developing sophisticated methods to use water sparingly: now lapsed into disrepair, the water channels that fed Petra are evidence of this skill. But Jordan, with a burgeoning human population swelled by refugees from the Middle East conflicts, faces a crisis. Demand for water is so great that the Dead Sea itself is predicted to disappear.

Other Organization:International Fund for Agricultural Development
Agriculture / Food Security
climate change adaptation, IFAD, Jordan
May 24, 2011

WFP is using food to help poor farmers become less vulnerable to hunger in future. Veronica Kakuma built a water-conserving ‘bund’ and now has a sorghum crop she didn’t have before.

Agriculture / Food Security
world food programme climate change global warming Kenya activism effects of climate change Turkana water conservation conserving water cop15
May 24, 2011

With sand blocking the channels feeding Mali’s Lake Faguibine, the area dried up and local people slipped deeper into hunger. The answer was simple: unblock the channels. Thanks to the food assistance supplied by WFP, local people were able to do it themselves.

Agriculture / Food Security
climate change mali food for assets adaptation
May 24, 2011