March 23, 2019
MIDDLE EAST EYE (23/3/2019)
Olive, lemon and palm trees provide shade over the small garden where Abu ElHajj recently started growing carrots, tomatoes, beans and herbs.
Surrounded by arid cliffs and a harsh desert landscape, it seems an unlikely place to start cultivating food.
Facing drought and rising temperatures, Jordan is on the frontline of climate change.
Overgrazing and inappropriate cultivation practices have contributed to increasing desertification across the region.
Abu ElHajj’s mission is to green the desert in Jordan. She quit her job as a teacher in Amman in 2017 and decided to buy a small piece of land in the Dead Sea valley.
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