Jordanians are dealing with multiple overlapping challenges including slow economic growth, high youth unemployment, water scarcity and increased cost of living.<\/p>\n
With 63 per cent of its population under the age of 30, Jordan has one of the youngest populations in the world, and youth engagement and mobilization is crucial to finding solutions to food insecurity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This is why the UN Children\u2019s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) launched the Youth in Food Security Innovation Programme, which saw a group of young Jordanians, aged between 18 and 26, presenting a wide range of ideas, from addressing the problem of solid waste, to recycling fruit and vegetable peel.<\/p>\n
As part of the project, the participants received training on the implications of food insecurity, the opportunities and challenges directly linked to food security, the role of technology in shaping the future of food, and strategies for changing the traditional food chain.<\/p>\n
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UNICEF\/ Nadia Bseiso<\/span><\/p>\n Aya Kraik, a participant in a WFP\/ UNICEF youth innovation project in Jordan.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n Aya Kreik, an architecture student in Amman is one of those young innovators. Ms. Kreik and her team succeeded in converting farms waste into organic fertilizers rich in nutrients, reviving the soil and encouraging farmers to avoid the use of chemical fertilizers.<\/p>\n \u201cMy innovation idea aims to increase plants\u2019 immunity to diseases and helps the soil to retain water in a large proportion, which reduces the amount of irrigation water needed. A modern method for treating waste and does not produce greenhouse gases\u201d. she explains. \u201cWe started our project at the beginning of the pandemic. With the lockdowns, we thought of ideas to become self-sufficient when it comes to food.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Jordanian Capital, Amman, is a very crowded city and there are no available spaces for farming\u201d, she adds. \u201cIn addition, not all people are interested in healthy and organic food, because of lack of awareness and high prices. So, we were determined to raise awareness about the importance and benefits of organic food\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI am proud of where I got to today. We are about to start the first multiple-output, women-led farm in Jordan,\u201d declares Ms. Kreik. \u201cWe, young people, need to think out of the box and come up with new ideas related to environmental sustainability\u201d.<\/p>\n UNICEF\/ Nadia Bseiso<\/span><\/p>\n Alaa Al-Hijazeen and Nourhan Al Gharabli, participants in a youth innovation project by UNICEF\/ WFP in Jordan.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n Banking and Finance graduate Alaa Al-Hijazeen and Business Intelligence student Nourhan Al Gharabli launched a startup that produces self-watering and self-feeding plants using a new type of hydrogel, consisting of self-absorbing polymers, that can transform moisture in the air into pure water.<\/p>\n \u201cOur goal is not to make money\u201d, says Alaa, \u201cbut to leave an impact and change people\u2019s lives. Climate change is having direct impacts on food security, the air we breathe and the water we drink. We all need to take action.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur next step is to turn this idea into a reality. And we are considering further exploring environmental businesses. Our environment is a great resource, and we can use it sustainably,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n UNICEF\/ Nadia Bseiso<\/span><\/p>\nReviving the soil<\/h2>\n
\n ![\"Alaa](\"https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/Libraries\/Production+Library\/11-08-2022-nourhan-alaa-jordan.jpg\/image1170x530cropped.jpg\" "\\"Alaa")
\n <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\nSelf-feeding plants<\/h2>\n
\n ![\"Alaa](\"https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/Libraries\/Production+Library\/11-08-2022-alaa-thalji.jpg\/image1170x530cropped.jpg\" "\\"Alaa")
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