FAO Marks Arbor Day with Tree Planting Event

22 January, 2023 – Amman –The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) celebrated Arbor Day, which falls on the 15th of January, with the planting trees planting activity in contribution to the afforestation efforts and visiting the Seed Bank, Nursery & Herbarium at the Royal Botanic Garden (RBG).

The event was hosted by Her Royal Highness Princess Basma bint Ali, the founder of the Royal Botanic Garden and FAO Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Near East and North Africa, and under the Patronage of His Excellency Eng. Khaled Hnaifat, Minister of Agriculture in Jordan.
About 80 students from two different schools participated in the event, planted trees, and visited the Seed Bank, Nursery & Herbarium. They were also familiarized with the definition of agrifood systems and with different types of plant species.

HRH Princess Basma bint Ali said that this event embodies the existing partnership between the RBG and institutions concerned with agriculture and its sustainability, represented by the Ministry of Agriculture, FAO, and academic and educational bodies, to ensure the enhancement of the agricultural and afforestation sector. Her Highness added that the participation of school students in afforestation is to strengthen their belonging to the land and increase the green spaces, so that they become messengers of agriculture, environment and biodiversity.

H.E Minister of Agriculture emphasized the contribution of the Ministry through its plans to increase the forest cover in the Kingdom, and talked about the Qatraneh project, which extends over 2,200 dunums, and started planting 35,000 trees during this season. He added that several projects will also be implemented with the Public Security to plant the Swaqa forest. Moreover, another forest has also been planted in Ma’an, in addition to the desert road, with a distance of 150 km, during the year 2022.

FAO Representative in Jordan, Eng. Nabil Assaf, said “Forests play a key role in restoring ecosystems with the aim of a better life for all. Forests are our key partners for achieving the objectives of the 2030 Agenda, combating desertification, achieving food security and improving livelihoods.”

FAO supports the Government of Jordan by enhancing the seedling production in nurseries, increasing the planting density with forest trees in the northern and central part of Jordan whether through signing several agreements with partners or through ongoing project activities such as the EU-MADAD funded project; which contributed in producing 3,000,000 seedlings during 2021 and 2022, planted 100,000 seedlings from native species and rehabilitated 11,100 donums from forestry and rangeland areas.

Furthermore, another part from FAO support is to enhance and consolidate the existed entities specialized in forestry and rangeland like RBG through providing new technologies, assets and technical training.  

The protection of forests and expanding them fall within FAO's second strategic goal “Make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable." Under this objective, FAO supports the government in shifting towards a "green national economy," in a country suffering from dwindling forestation, estimated at 88,000 hectares, less than 1% of its overall area.

Forest protection is a pillar of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 15: “Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss”.