A 2-decade Study of Barriers to the Adoption of Organic Farming in Arid Lands of Jordan

ABSTRACT Organic farming supports environmental sustainability by saving water, safeguarding ecosystems, and providing economic opportunities through organic crops. It promotes food security and long-term development in the arid regions. However, its adoption in Jordan remains limited, primarily due to insufficient governmental support policies and measures. This study aims to identify the fundamental barriers to the adoption of organic agriculture in Jordan’s arid regions, evaluate farmers’ preparedness for organic practices, explore opportunities for organic farming, and propose recommendations to enhance its adoption. The study utilized a longitudinal approach, conducted in two phases over two decades. The first phase (April–September 2004) involved semi-structured interviews with 46 farmers and five focus groups. The second phase (July–September 2024) revisited seven experienced farmers from the initial cohort, using a phenomenological research approach a widely used approach. The results of phase 1 findings showed that the main barriers were technical, economic, marketing, legislation, institutional and extension and services while socio-cultural was not. The results of phase 2 highlighted persistence of the barriers identified in phase 1, alongside unresolved institutional difficulties, including certification processes, regulatory gaps, and limited market access. The study concluded that implementing streamlined certification procedures, government-supported subsidies, education programs, and policy modifications to promote sustainable adoption of organic farming and farmer engagement in Jorden. The limitation includes a small sample size, the two-decade gap between phases, and a focus on arid regions only. Further, it excludes other stakeholders’ perspectives, underexplores socio-cultural factors and provides limited analysis of certification, market access, and comparable contexts. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.