Nafn Amdar

In March 2025, a farmer at Iraq Al Ameer – Amman – Jordan, knelt beside one of the valley's spring channels to fill his water bottles. The flow was strong and the water was reaching distant farms that had been dry for the past season. He had no instrument to confirm what he was seeing, but he knew the rhythm of this spring the way he knew his own orchard. Yet, nobody recorded what he observed that morning.

A boy looks along a water channel on land that is part of a farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) scheme. This helps prevent and reverse desertification. The trees left on the land, rather than being cut down as was the previous practice, prevent erosion and their shade slows evaporation allowing the earth to hold more water and the higher water table means it takes less energy to irrigate the fields. Photo: Sven Torfinn/Panos Pictures Take a good look at the map below.

Jordan is one of the world’s most water-scarce countries, facing increasing pressures from climate change, population growth, land degradation and rising agricultural water demand. As these challenges intensify, the country has placed digital water governance at the center of its national water strategy. Reliable data, stronger monitoring systems and improved irrigation performance are essential to support equitable and efficient water allocation.