Agriculture research is a core pillar in sustainable and resilient agriculture development at national and regional levels. It facilitates the transfer of techniques, practices, technology, and knowledge through demonstration and analyses aiming to improve production and productivity, protect and increase the efficiency of natural resources, and ultimately improve the livelihoods of producers. In a context similar to Jordan, where natural resources are scarce and food security is a critical challenge with low technology knowledge and transfer, efficient and context-oriented agriculture research represents a strategic objective to promote agriculture sustainability. In 2018, The Jordanian Government issued a new decree (#42) in which it divided agriculture research from extension services (they were combined under decree (#63-year 2007)) and set the new structure of the National Agriculture Research Center (NARC). The center is mandated to design the strategy of agriculture research in Jordan, transfer and adopt new technologies, improve the capacity of human resources in agriculture research, disseminate agriculture techniques and practices, cooperate with national, regional, and global institutions to promote agriculture research, manage Jordan’s genetic resources in the seeds’ bank, and operate the national library for agriculture resources. The center prepared a new draft strategy that prioritizes agriculture research for 2019-2023. There is a necessity to revise the strategy and discuss its final draft with stakeholders in which activities needs to be tailored to respond to food security critical issues at national level in Jordan and other priorities that could achieve a change under specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Exchanging lessons learned from the separation of agriculture research and extension, in a similar context to Jordan like Lebanon, is essential to show participants how can they better coordinate their efforts together to apply research, test their impacts, and transfer them to beneficiaries.
 
Workshop Objectives

• Discuss agriculture research priorities in Jordan with main stakeholders and prioritize the directions toward the improvement of food security and achievement of specific SDGs
• Exchange knowledge with participants on effective mechanisms to improve the efficiency of technology transfer and adoption in the agriculture sector
• Exchange lessons learned from the Lebanese context
• Mainstream SDGs into the national agriculture research strategy and show where the center can effectively contribute to specific objectives and targets