Al Balqa

Al Balqa’s journey began in 2014 in Jordan, with a tree for every child campaign, alongside working with the farmers’ market movement to sell small-scale farmers’ products, particularly those of women to offer financial independence.

Since then, the project has:

• Expanded to reach eight villages;
• Expanded its tree planting campaigns to 10 trees for every household in Bayoundha village, reaching 6200 fruit and native species tree and 15,000 medicinal plants, working with women empowered from each neighbourhood in the targeted community;
• Started a permaculture training center;
• Reestablished the local farmers’ cooperative;
• Hosted a creative club with 45 children, providing hot meals;
• Planned two food forests and native species nursery to regenerate the ecology of Al-Artha municipality.

The project is entirely led and managed by women, demonstrating female-led innovation and shifting the picture of rural Muslim women in the community.

The project has seen many farmers, youth and women becoming part of a green economy that depends on restoring biodiversity, water harvesting, agricultural tourism and adventure tourism, and continues to renew the resources of nature.