ILO Rainwater Harvesting in Jordan Lifts Yields, Cuts Costs

As one of the driest countries in the world, Jordan continues to face mounting climate and water challenges. At the same time, a new ILO study released for World Water Day 2026 highlights how a low cost, community driven rainwater harvesting initiative is delivering measurable gains for rural families-especially women-while helping farmers withstand the growing pressures of climate change.

Between 2016-2019, the project Job creation for Syrian refugees and Jordanian host communities through green works in agriculture and forestry, funded by the Kingdom of Norway and implemented by the ILO's Employment-Intensive Investment Programme (EIIP), supported the construction of more than 250 rainwater harvesting units across eight governorates - Ajloun, Jerash, Balqa, Karak, Tafila, Madaba, Zarqa, and Ma'an. The intervention targeted smallholder farmers, aiming to improve agricultural productivity, reduce input costs, and driving inclusive local development.

According to the new study, Rainwater harvesting units in Jordan: Assessment of effects, developed with support from the PROSPECTS Partnership and the ILO Employment in Investments (EMPINVEST) Branch, the majority of the smallholder farmers report tangible economic benefits:

• Over 90 per cent spent less on irrigation, with many reducing costs by 20 per cent to 60 per cent.
• Around 80 per cent achieved higher yields.
• More than 70 per cent reported increased farm revenues, enabling investment in upgrading irrigation systems or crop diversification.

The cisterns also proved critical during the 2023 dry season, when farmers relied on stored rainwater for irrigation, supplementing with municipal water when needed-demonstrating how the infrastructure is helping them adapt to a changing climate at the household level.

The study also shows that the project created strong socio-economic and gender-inclusive impacts:

• One-third of farmers hired additional labour, generating more than 2,000 workdays in a single agricultural season.
• 55 per cent of women in farming households actively participated in irrigation and harvesting, reflecting expanded roles for women in local rural economies.
• Nearly half of participating farmers inspired their neighbours to build more than 250 additional cisterns independently-evidence of the project's catalytic and community-driven effect.

As Jordan continues to navigate worsening climate conditions, the ILO's rainwater-harvesting approach demonstrates a practical, replicable model that blends environmental resilience with decent job creation, inclusive growth, and community empowerment. The study highlights the need to address technical and financial barriers, strengthen maintenance and guidance, expand storage solutions, and adopting gender-responsive approaches to ensure sustainability and maximize long-term impact.

The finding of the study will inform the design and implementation of the new EIIP component under ILO PROSPECTS, which focuses on tackling water scarcity while creating jobs and supporting climate-adaptive, sustainable development. The intervention aims to improve agricultural water management by increasing irrigation efficiency, promoting rainwater harvesting and sustainable land practices, and enhancing medium- and long-term productivity. The new initiative is set to rehabilitate and construct key agricultural water infrastructure to improve water‑use efficiency and protect vital sources for farming communities. Planned works include:

• construction of rainwater‑harvesting cisterns;
• rehabilitation and construction of water canals and sub‑canals; and
• building gabion walls to prevent erosion and stabilize water flow.

Together, these improvements will strengthen communities' ability to better withstand increasing water scarcity and contribute to more inclusive and resilient local economies for vulnerable Jordanians and Syrian refugees.

PROSPECTS is a partnership that brings together the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank. It aims to improve the access of host communities and forcibly displaced people to education, social protection and decent work.