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Janet's small business blossoms in the desert

In the village of Rawda in the desert of Jordan, the sun is scalding and the air blisteringly arid. Ideal conditions for Janet Horani who is drying Jameed- preserved yoghurt made from sheep's milk in her garden.

While many people in the desert country of Jordan have emigrated to city centres, some, like Janet, have chosen to stay in the traditional life, rearing livestock and moving according to the seasons and the available pasturelands.

But Jordan's natural resources are very limited, especially when it comes to water, making a traditional Jordanian lifestyle increasingly difficult.

Wedged between Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Jordan is 80 percent desert; only about 5 percent of the land is considered arable. Some estimate that Jordan uses about 30 percent more water than it receives from natural resources. Without intervention, water scarcity will worsen. And because of a high population growth rate, demand for water is expected to rise dramatically in the near future.

The water deficit in Jordan is dire and reduced rainfall from global climate change is exacerbating the situation "Rainfall in this area seems to be less each year and the land has become less productive," says Mahmood Mahadin, who like most farmers in this area, does not have an irrigation system so must depend on rain for his crops.

Only by reducing their reliance on the type of crops that need water can the people of Jordan reduce their risk of poverty. With this in mind, in 1993 the United Nations' International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) began an 'Income Diversification Project' to help set up small businesses so that even in times of low rainfall and crop failure, family farms in Jordan could bring in an income.

Janet is one Jordanian who has benefited from alternative income schemes. A widow in her mid-forties, she has been supporting her four children since her husband died a few years ago.

After hearing about the IFAD programme from neighbours in her village, Janet decided to participate. "I took a training course in dairy production. I learned milk processing and then got a loan for that purpose," says Janet. Protected from the sun by the shade of the olive trees and her long, traditionally embroidered dress knows as 'kuftan', Janet turns over the large white lumps of solid, preserved yoghurt while she explains how she went from a housewife with no job to a small business owner.

With a loan of 2,500 Dinars, (about US $3,555), Janet bought 15 sheep and used the rest of the money to purchase yoghurt processing equipment. "With the equipment I make jameed, preparing and boiling the milk. After curdling the milk we put it in skimmers, then pack the skimmed milk in plastic containers, add some salt and that's how the cheese is processed," she explains. The resulting round white clumps look like incongruous snowballs in this hot climate. She sells most of the yoghurt locally but some of it is exported to relatives in the United States and Australia.

Other IFAD projects in Jordan to save water and create sustainable agricultural practices are on-going and often surprisingly simple: These include building stone terraces on sloping land to retain both soil and water; re-using drainage water and treated waste water from towns and industry, for agricultural purposes; and replacing cereal crops with olive trees which, after their first two years, thrive without much water.