As part of our responsible commitment toward nature and the environment, the Smart DESERT project integrates sustainable agriculture and water harvesting techniques. These approaches are designed to optimise resource use, reduce environmental impact, and enhance resilience to climate change. Sustainable agriculture practices include the use of soilless cultivation systems, solar-powered greenhouses, and crop selection based on agroecological conditions. Water harvesting is implemented through the collection and reuse of irrigation water, contributing to efficient water management in a region facing severe water scarcity. Together, these practices support long-term environmental stewardship and promote ecological balance in the North-East Badia Highlands of Jordan.
When farmers have access to inputs and are linked to markets, the productivity gains translate into income and improved livelihoods. Community engagement and supportive policies provide a foundation for scale and sustainability. Digital tools act as cross-cutting enablers, linking knowledge, water management, and markets. In the Smart DESERT project, these interconnected elements work together to create climate-resilient communities and sustainable economic opportunities.
Access to resources
Land management support
Community engagement
Water infrastructure
Knowledge and skills
In water-scarce areas, effective harvesting systems are a precondition for any sustainable agricultural activity.
Interventions are most successful when community members are involved in the design, construction, and maintenance of systems.
Water harvesting alone is insufficient—must be combined with soil health, crop rotation, and organic inputs to maximise yield.
Engaging women in training and planning increases adoption and community-wide benefits.
Short-term projects often fail to maintain infrastructure—long-term technical support and monitoring are crucial.
The clustering of farms is a modality that was adopted for the establishment of new farming activities. A farming cluster is a group of agricultural units adjoined on one site. This was designed to overcome many obstacles that individual farmers face, such as high transportation costs, fluctuating market prices, and a lack of technical capacities to address issues arising during the operation of relatively new agricultural technologies.
The farming clusters in Al Za'atari and Al Serhan municipalities in Al Mafraq Governorate (Northern Jordan), comprise a set of 58 agricultural units adjoined in two sites with a total approximate area of 60,000 m². Such a setup enables selling the products of all farmers at once to large business off-takers, thus reducing transportation costs and allowing all farm to management components to get the same quality of products.
The agricultural units are greenhouses equipped with internal soilless-culture systems and powered by solar energy, while the products are sold through a project spin-off company, named after the project (Smart DESERT Company). All farmers follow the same working steps, and conditions are controlled to the highest extent possible.
Greenhouses are equipped with internal systems for soilless-culture systems that are fully functional and produce various crops. Such a system enables the collection of return irrigation water in basins, providing an opportunity to circulate this water to irrigate the surrounding trees and an open cultivation plot.
Day-to-day follow-up for operation and maintenance needs
Market linkages
Post-harvest activities
The soilless-culture systems have proved to have higher productivity and lower water consumption compared with traditional protected agriculture.
The farming clusters' modality significantly reduces resource consumption and maximises production.
Hands-on agricultural skills are optimally taught on-site.
Selection of crops should consider agroecological conditions in the target area and the market demands.
