Prompted by previous research by the CGIAR Research Initiative on Fragility, Conflict, and Migration (FCM), the World Food Programme (WFP) in mid-2024 contracted FCM to investigate what financial and legal barriers hamper investments in climate-resilient agricultural livelihoods. WFP wanted to understand how to best increase access to finance for refugees and host communities, while at the same time building social cohesion within and between these groups. The resulting research-backed recommendations form an integral component of a proposed WFP flagship project.
Jordan hosts the second-largest number of refugees per capita worldwide, and many of them are Syrian farmers who try to eke out a living in the agricultural sector. However, they—just like their Jordanian hosts—struggle under the impacts of climate change. Their tenuous legal status within Jordan makes their situation even more challenging.
WFP, which provides food and cash-based assistance to vulnerable refugees in Jordan, also seeks to support those who can and want to seek out climate-resilient agriculture as a path to economic self-reliance. To find out how such support could best be designed, FCM researchers interviewed 120 refugees and host community members in Irbid and Mafraq Governorates, and they conducted focus group discussions, a survey, and a literature review.
FCM researchers found that refugees are already firmly integrated into agricultural livelihoods and are interested in investing in more climate-resilient production technologies, particularly greenhouses. However, they face restrictive legal and financial barriers—around work permits, land ownership, and credit options—that hamper them from making such investments.
The study that FCM has carried out is really critical for us to utilize in our application to the Green Climate Fund because it demonstrates that we’ve done the research and do know what conditions exist in northern Jordan. It backs up the design of our proposed flagship project. — Corey Fortin, Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction Team Leader, World Food Programme (WFP)
Their research also indicated that co-developing financing products and financial delivery mechanisms with refugees and host community members—considering their socio-economic circumstances as well as cultural and religious identities—could improve the resilience of both communities and the agri-food system. What’s more, the design of financing products could in itself incentivize climate-resilient farming practices and enhance collaboration among communities.
To foster greater social cohesion, FCM researchers recommend that WFP and its partners support climate-resilient livelihood investments that foster collaboration between refugees and host communities. This approach can generate benefits for both groups and preempt any discontent fueled by the perception that refugees are over supported. Finally, FCM researchers identified an opportunity for refugees to transfer their know-how to fellow community members through Syrian–Jordanian partnerships—for example by tying funding to collaborations or partnerships.
WFP’s interest in designing projects to benefit everyone equally was sparked by FCM research published in 2023, which identified the need for community-based approaches. Specifically, FCM researchers found that while tensions do exist, they are often exacerbated by perceptions that support is unfairly distributed between host and refugee communities. Instead, comprehensive community- and area-based approaches that more effectively link emergency response and sustainable development efforts can aid both refugee and host communities as well as build social cohesion between the two groups. It was based on these insights that WFP requested FCM to conduct additional research and offer their recommendations.
FCM researchers also spoke with 19 experts representing the supply side of the financial landscape within Jordan. These conversations indicated that while microfinance institutions are issuing loans to some refugees, extending more loans to this demographic would hinge on the removal of legal barriers and on refugees having access to better business opportunities and training.
To validate these findings, FCM and WFP brought together representatives from the private sector, national and microfinance institutions, and humanitarian and development assistance organizations for a workshop in Amman. Building on the recommendations offered by FCM’s study, workshop participants identified additional opportunities for increasing refugees’ access to microfinance, including by developing a uniform micro accreditation tool and a scorecard to more easily identify potential beneficiaries. Participants also discussed the need for the donor community to support such efforts, for example by subsidizing loan interests.
For now, WFP is set to use FCM’s recommendations in the design of a new flagship project, currently pending submission to the Green Climate Fund. The project is intended to target both refugees and host communities in northern Jordan, aiming to increase their access to the finance they need to invest in sustainable, climate-resilient agricultural livelihoods.
References
- Jaskolski, M.; Schapendonk, F.; Meddings, G.; Passaro, A. (2023) Climate change, peace, and resilience: A snapshot of lived experiences of refugees and host communities in Jordan.
- Jaskolski, M.S.; Schapendonk, F.J.A.; Meddings, G.W.R.; Passaro, A. (2023) Bridging humanitarian aid with development and livelihood support in a context of protracted displacement: Lessons from Jordan.
