Amman, Oct. 16 (Petra) – Participants in the World Food Forum, organized by the Jordanian Olive Oil Women's Network‎ under the theme "Transformation Paths in Food Systems: Empowering Women and Promoting Entrepreneurship," called for enhancing the empowerment of rural women in the olive sector and developing integrated marketing, health, and educational policies to ensure the sector’s sustainability and contribution to food security.

According to a statement issued by the Network on Thursday, the forum was held under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Basma bint Ali and featured wide official and Arab participation, including Minister of Agriculture Saeb Khreisat; Head of the Regional Office of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development for the Arab East Countries Raed Fayez Hattar; and representative of the International Olive Council Iman Traboulsi, as well as representatives from the Arab Women’s Olive Oil Network in Palestine, Syria, and Algeria.

Khreisat underlined that the olive tree is a national symbol of resilience and giving, deeply rooted in Jordan’s identity and heritage. He stressed the Ministry of Agriculture’s commitment to empowering women in the agricultural sector by facilitating their access to markets and financing opportunities.

Hattar emphasized that supporting Arab women in the olive oil sector is a strategic necessity for achieving sustainable development in the Arab region. He commended the efforts of the Jordanian and Arab Women’s Olive Oil Networks in promoting agricultural cooperation and strengthening economic participation.

Network President Nihaya Muhaisen announced the signing of a strategic partnership agreement with the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development to organize and coordinate the work of the Arab Women’s Olive Oil Network in ten Arab countries, aiming to enhance cooperation and knowledge exchange in production, processing, and marketing.

Presenting the forum’s final recommendations, Economic Expert and Founding Member of the Jordanian Women’s Olive Oil Network Masnat Hayari highlighted the need to develop transformative approaches in food systems and to economically and socially empower women within a sustainable framework.

The recommendations included adopting a unified marketing strategy for extra virgin olive oil at local and international levels, linking marketing to quality and cultural heritage, and engaging the Ministry of Health and national medical centers in public awareness campaigns on the health benefits of olive oil.

They further called for incorporating olive-related topics into school curricula, supporting research on the preventive and therapeutic properties of olive oil, developing agricultural adaptation programs to address climate change, and encouraging modern irrigation techniques. The recommendations also underscored the importance of adopting national packaging standards, promoting environmentally friendly materials, strengthening oversight to combat commercial fraud, and supporting women’s cooperatives and production clusters to enhance entrepreneurship and rural empowerment.

Hayari stressed that the recommendations represent a roadmap to elevate the global status of Jordanian and Arab olive oil while advancing economic and social justice for women in agriculture, noting that investing in women’s empowerment is an investment in food sustainability and economic security for future generations.

//Petra// AJ