His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday visited Al Baida area in Wadi Musa to check on the condition of its citizens.



During the visit, the King was briefed on the outcome of a USAID-funded project implemented a year ago, under which the area's farmers planted field corps like barley and wheat utilizing recycled water from the Wadi Musa Wastewater Treatment Plant.


The farmers, who are now ready for the harvest, were able to transform their arid lands into productive farms as a result of the project, as well as earn a livelihood.
Around 400 inhabitants live in Al Baida, located in Petra region, and most of them are livestock breeders.


In the first stage of the project, which created around 100 job opportunities, agricultural units measuring 20 dunums each were allocated to 14 families for cultivation, and efforts are ongoing to increase the number of beneficiaries to 35 families.


During a meeting with the farmers, the King underlined the need to develop such pioneering projects that reflect positively on the lives of citizens.


His Majesty, who highlighted the importance of developing the abilities of farmers and concentrating on producing crops that could be exported, issued directives to allocate a sum of money to support the project.


The King was accompanied by Royal Court Chief Faisal Fayez, King's Adviser on Tribal Affairs Sharif Fawwaz Zaben and Sharifa Zein Al Sharaf Bent Nasser, adviser and member of the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development board of trustees.

The Jordan Times