Amman: The Jordan Cooperative Corporation (JCC) Director-General Abdulfattah Shalabi and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) engaged in discussions on Monday to devise strategies aimed at ensuring local cooperatives benefit from phase two of a regional poverty reduction initiative.
According to Jordan News Agency, the initiative, titled "Small Ruminants Investment and Graduating Households in Transition Project," is designed to lift rural families out of poverty. During Phase 1, IFAD provided JD15,000 in funding to each of four cooperatives in the Jordanian Badia.
Shalabi emphasized the significant role of approximately 350 agricultural cooperatives nationwide in strengthening food security and economically empowering women. He underscored the necessity for JCC to act as a third party in future funding agreements between IFAD and local cooperatives to ensure statutory oversight under the 2025 Cooperatives Law and to secure long-term viability. Steps are being taken to establish a Cooperative Development Fund as a dedicated financing tool.
Waleed Ali, IFAD Environmental and Climate Change Expert, confirmed that Phase 2 will focus primarily on agricultural and women-led cooperatives. He mentioned that IFAD is in the process of assessing support mechanisms and collaborating with JCC to identify eligible cooperatives. Ali stressed that funding will be contingent upon robust guarantees for project completion and sustainability.