Badia Research Program

The Badia Research Program -the term "Badia" is an Arabic word for the semi-arid region- established in 1992 by HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal, the Chairman of the Higher Council for Science and Technology (HCST). The HCST and the Royal Geographical Society (UK) collaborated to research Jordan's Northeastern Badia, which launched the initiative. This done in collaboration with Durham University's Overseas Development and Research Centre, the Royal Geographical Society's executive arm.

• 1-The Badia Research Program operates three field stations:
  Safawi Field Research Station, located in Safawi town—known as H5—in the Al Mafraq governorate, established in 1992.
• 2-Liaison Office of the program at Al-Hussein bin Talal University in Maan governorate, which established in 2006.
• 3-Liaison Office of the program at Al Albayt University in Al Mafraq Governorate, and established in 2024.

The program focuses on development rather than change, aiming to achieve sustainable development in the Jordanian Badia region by integrating the Badia's economy into the national economy and improving the quality of life for its inhabitants while preserving and protecting the Badia biosphere, and its ecosystems. The program also emphasizes human resource development through specialized training courses and capacity-building programs for researchers and local communities in the fields of arid and semi-arid land development.

It is worth noting that the program conducts applicable scientific studies and research mainly in the following thematic areas:

1. Population Studies
2. Water Studies
3. Livestock Studies
4. Land Resources
5. Geology & Renewable Energy
6. Biodiversity
7. Social and Economic Studies
8. Archaeological and Tourism Studies

R & D projects /network

Current Projects

Project Title: Ecosystem-Based Agriculture Resilience in the Levant through Agroforestry (EBAR)

Project Goal:

 Resilience and sustainability of agricultural and food production systems against climate change in the Levant are strengthened through Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) applications of agroforestry supported in practice and policy.

Project Duration (months): 24

Start date: December 2024

End date: December 2025

Funding Agency: IUCN/Global EbA Fund

Implementing Partners:

1.       Jordan: The National Center for Research and Development (NCRD)

2.       Lebanon: Friends of Nature (FON)

3.       Syria: Syrian Society for Highlands Development

The Project idea:  Climate change has modified the typical Mediterranean climate of Levantine countries to dominant cycles of increased drought and seasonal inconsistency. Agriculture is suffering heavily, with decreased productivity, consistency of production, and increased vulnerability to diseases and loss. This obliges increased use of agrochemicals, thus increasing expenditure and ecological footprint. Climate change is severely affecting small/medium-scale farmers already undermined with the least social security measures, exacerbating their loss and expenditure, driving them toward more marginalization and socio-economic vulnerability tending to poverty. It is also broadening climate injustice and inequitable use of resources, where small- to medium-scale farmers suffer the heaviest insecurities in livelihood and socioeconomic disparity.

Agroecology and agroforestry techniques and practices present effective ecosystem-based adaptation modules that increase the resilience of agriculture to climate change. They enhance crop productivity in quality and quantity and support livelihood. They are nature-based solutions equally accessible, at least in terms of financial requirements. Moreover, the National Determined Contributions (NDCs) will influenced to improve implementation and EbA integration.

 Achieved Projects that have had a highly positive impact on local communities of targeted areas in the Badia: 

• 1-Community Animal Health and Extension workers (CAHEWs)
• 2-Community-Based- Rangeland Rehabilitation Project in Tal Remah
• 3-Livestock Development Project
• 4-Onion Planting Project (OPP) in Al Modawarah
• 5-Rangeland Plant Species in the Arid Areas (Germplasm Project)
• 6-Tal Remah Dairy Factory Project
• 7-Targeted villages cluster
• 8-Dier al-kahef Camel Farm Project
• 9-New Techniques in the Manufacture of Baladi Jameed
• 10-Water Harvesting and Rabbits Farm Project