Southern Madaba Cluster… Back to the Roots

Governorate: Madaba
Cluster Villages: Ash-Shuqayq, adh-Dhuhayba, Barza
Community Type: Rural


Location

The Madaba Cluster is located in the southern part of Madaba Governorate, 35 km from Madaba City, and approximately 65 km south of Amman, the capital city.
Description
The cluster is situated at an altitude of 740 meters above sea level. The geography is varied, but consists mostly of agricultural plains, which lie between the mountains and the Jordan Rift Valley. The area receives an average of 300 mm of rainfall annually. The land is cultivated with various crops, such as olives, grapes, fruit trees, as well as wheat. The cluster’s area is 5,228 hectares, with Barza constituting the largest area (4,500 hectare), and Ash-Shuqayq the most populated (800 inhabitants). The total cluster population is 1,672 inhabitants.

Problems and Challenges Facing the Area

• There are no public transport systems that reach the cluster. The closest public bus stop is located in  Dhiban town, which is about 5 km away. Only a few residents own private cars.
• The villages are connected to the Ministry of Water and Irrigation’s potable water supply network. This supply is intermittent, and residents sometimes purchase supplemental supplies from tanker trucks.
• There are a number of springs in the area which residents use for farm irrigation. These springs are in need of rehabilitation.
• The 3 village municipalities collect household solid waste and transport it to the Dhiban Waste Dump, which is located 5 km from the villages. There are no recycling facilities at the Dump.
• There is an absence of a proper liquid waste disposal system. Residents rely on septic tanks, which are emptied by hired trucks.
• The cluster villages comprise a total of 4 schools, run by the Ministry of Education. The villages of Barza and adh-Dhuhayba each has only one mixed elementary school. Older students have to attend the Secondary Schools located in Ash-Shuqayq.
• The cluster area suffers from a lack of sufficient health care facilities, with few primary health centers available and no resident doctors. The nearest hospital is in Madaba City, about 35 km away.
• The commercial sector is mainly in small local retail shops. The lack of manufacturing activity and the limited commercial activity in the cluster reflects the lack of investment in these sectors.

Economic Problems

• The cluster residents’ economic activity is mainly in public sector employment and agriculture. There is high rate of dependence on the government for jobs (over 50%).
• Residents engaged in agricultural activity face various problems. These problems are typical of rural communities:
• Agricultural production is low and production costs are high
• Increased competition from imported products
• The lack of proper marketing strategies
These factors lead to a rise in unemployment, lower family income and a subsequent decrease in standards of living for these residents.


Addressing the Local Needs of the Area

The community cluster in Southern Madaba is an area of Jordan that has significant poverty and a scarcity of arable land and water. While the area has an excellent climate and long tradition of almond tree cultivation, in recent years almond production has declined. RCCDP worked with the local community to rehabilitate 187 dunums of rocky and barely usable land to create a 6,000-tree almond orchard, a nursery and 10 greenhouses to produce income while the trees are maturing.

Reintroducing almonds in response to a strong domestic demand is only one of the success stories of this cluster. Transforming marginal land to a fully productive integrated farm created jobs and long-term economic empowerment for the local community.