About National Agricultural Research Centre:
Objective
NARC aims at using the results of agricultural research derived locally or quoted from other sources for the purposes of increasing agricultural production, including plant and animal production, raising its efficiency and improving it, preserving and optimizing agricultural natural resources, serving the purposes of agricultural development and maintaining environmental balance.
Vision
A distinguished agricultural scientific research center to achieve sustainable development
Mission
We are working with our partners to strengthen the role of NARC as a national umbrella for agricultural research with the purpose of achieving sustainable and flexible development and optimal use of natural resources.
Core Values
Excellence
Innovation and Creativity
Transparency
Knowledge Department
Participatory
Social Responsibility
About The Centre:
The official journey of agricultural scientific research in Jordan began in (1958) at the Department of Scientific Research. In (1970), the name of this department was amended to the Directorate of Agricultural Research and Extension, and it was based in the Jubaiha area in Amman. In 1985, research activities were separated from the Directorate.
The National Agricultural Research and Technology Transfer Centre was established. This center is responsible for carrying out agricultural scientific research and technology transfer at the national level.
In November 2007, several amendments were made whereby agricultural research was merged with agricultural extension in one institution, which named the National Agricultural Research Centre and Extension. Under these amendments, the functions of extension were transferred completely from the Ministry of Agriculture to the National Center.
The previous system of the National Agricultural Research and Technology Transfer Centre was amended. The system No. (63) of (2007) was issued. It was called "a modified system for the National Agricultural Research and Technology Transfer Centre system ."
In line with the demands of farmers and agricultural directorates and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and global trends, agricultural extension was attached to the Ministry of Agriculture in (2018). The center was named the National Agricultural Research Centre. Accordingly, an amended system was issued for the National Agricultural Research and Extension Centre system, i.e. the system No. (42) of (2018). It is read with the system No. (42) of (1993), and was annotated by the Royal Will on (06/05/2018).
Since its inception, NARC aims at using the results of agricultural research derived locally or quoted from other sources for the purposes of increasing agricultural production, including plant and animal production, raising its efficiency and improving it, preserving and optimizing agricultural natural resources, serving the purposes of agricultural development and maintaining environmental balance. The organizational structure of the National Agricultural Research Centre shall be chaired by the Council of the Center and shall be presided over by the Minister of Agriculture. The center includes the Director General of the Center, a Vice President, the Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Science and Technology, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, a representative of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, a representative of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, two deans of agricultural colleges in official Jordanian universities, the Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Science and Technology, the President of the Agricultural Engineers, the President of the Jordanian Farmers Union, and two persons with experience and competence in the agricultural field.
The Center achieves its objectives through its functions set forth in Article 5 of the National Agricultural Research Centre System. These functions are as follows: Determine the priorities of national agricultural scientific research in cooperation with the relevant authorities that serve the purposes of agricultural development. Develop and adopt agricultural technology appropriate to local conditions to achieve the optimal utilization of natura resources. Circulate agricultural technologies transferred, adapted or developed to the relevant authorities. Develope the skills of workers in the agricultural sector and hold training courses, conferences and specialized workshops. Cooperate with local, Arab and international institutions to implement agricultural research programs. Provide consultancy and technical services in the agricultural field. Conduct field studies and surveys of plant and animal biodiversity in order to preserve them from extinction. Preserve and supervise plant seeds at the National Seed Bank at the center, Incubate and manage the National Agricultural Information Library.
The National Center consists of the main center. It is located in Al-Baqaa area within Al-Balqa Governorate, 15 kilometers north of Amman, in addition to eight research centers covering all regions of the Kingdom based on the climate distribution, namely:
First, research centers in the North Region:
(1) Ramtha Agricultural Research Center
(2) Mafraq Agricultural Research Center
Second, research centers in the Central Region:
(1) Deir Al-Ulla Agricultural Research Center
(2) Mushqar Agricultural Research Center
Third, research centers in the South Region:
(1) Al-Rabba Agricultural Research Center
(2) Tafila Center for Agricultural Research
(3) Shobak Agricultural Research Center
(4) Wadi Araba Agricultural Research Center
The Center supervises: (15) A research station distributed over the various regions of the Kingdom, namely the Ramtha Research Station, the Maru Research Station, the Ramtha Purification Station, and the Ramtha Agricultural Research Center; Livestock and Rangeland Research Station (Khanasiri), Biosaline Agriculture Research Station (Khalidiya), affiliated to Mafraq Agricultural Research Center; Sharhabeel Bin Hasna Research Station, located in the northern Jordan Valley region, Deir Al-Ulla Research Station, and Karama Research Station, all three of which are affiliated with Deir Al-Ulla Agricultural Research Center; Al Mashqar Research Station, which is affiliated with Al Mashqar Agricultural Research Center; Al Ghuwair Research Station, Ghor Al Safi Research Station, Al Rabah Research Station, afflitaed to the Al Rabah Agricultural Research Center; Al-Shobak Research Station, which is affiliated with Al-Shobak Agricultural Research Center.
Wadi Araba Research Station, which is affiliated with Wadi Araba Agricultural Research Center. It is affiliated with the main center in Ain al-Basha. Al-Hussein Agricultural Research Station. The center staff consists of: (55) researchers holding a Ph.D degree in agricultural sciences and agricultural engineering. (112) Researchers holding a master's degree in agricultural sciences and agricultural engineering. (162) Researchers holding a bachelor's degree in agricultural sciences and agricultural engineering. (32) Researchers holding a higher diploma in agricultural sciences and agricultural engineering. (332) support and administrative staff to support research work, their qualifications include bachelor's degree, intermediate diploma and below.
The National Center is the only government agricultural research institution at the national level. It forms the national umbrella for applied scientific research and agricultural consultancy. it is the scientific arm of the Ministry of Agriculture. It is responsible for conducting applied agricultural research and providing an agricultural consultancy service. It is followed by (7)
specialized laboratories, namely soil analysis laboratories, water analysis laboratories, plant analysis laboratories and plant protection laboratories, which are located in the main center, sub-centers, the fertilizer analysis laboratory, the microbiology laboratory and the feed laboratory, which are located in the main center. For decades, NARC has been carrying out applied scientific research in many fields, most notably plant production, plant protection, animal production, veterinary medicine, climate change, the use of unconventional water for irrigation, including gray water and other treated wastewater, water harvesting and genetic engineering, biotechnology, biological diversity, selection of species and breeds, and diagnosis of plant and animal pests and diseases.
The center is funded from the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture in addition to projects supported or funded by donors, and a number of projects supported by the Dutch government. The Center attaches great importance to enhancing cooperation and sharing information and experiences with local, regional and international institutions, and cooperates with many academic institutions, specialized civil society institutions, professional unions, the Farmers' Union, relevant professional associations and many international institutions and bodies. It is linked with its counterparts at the international level with agreements and memorandums of understanding that contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the Center and the development of agricultural research at the national level. The Center's international partners include:
the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)
the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
the European Commission (EU)
the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
the German Development Agency (GIZ)
the International Development Research Center (IDRC)
the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI)
the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS)
the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD)
the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD)
the Global Environment Facility (GEF)
the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI)
the Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East and North Africa (AARINENA)
the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA)
the World Bank (WB)
the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD)
the Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development (AAAID)
the Afro-Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO)
The services of the National Agricultural Research Centre are received by farmers (farmers of plant and animal production), agricultural companies, agricultural and development associations, exporters, olive presses, graduate students, and specialists in the agricultural field.