Jordan opened 15 lower-cost vegetable markets Saturday in several cities in honor of Ramadan, the month-long Muslim fasting holiday that began Friday.
According to the Jordan Times, the government began the market program last Ramadan. In exchange for a free stall, water and electricity, farmers agree to mark their produce down 30 percent. The program cost 6 million Jordanian dinars last year.
We reported earlier this year on a failed Israeli plan to tax vegetables and fruit, which drew this reader reply:
“I find this article astonishing. That any government would decide to tax the healthiest, least-processed foods available is very worrisome.”
Thumbs up to Jordan for going in the opposite direction by subsidizing the freshest food available and supporting local farmers. A similar program in other parts of the region could help farmers like the Eco-Baladi growers of Wadi Fuqin in the West Bank. Ramadan Mubarak.
:: Photo from Jordan Times
Author: Daniella Cheslow
Daniella Cheslow grew up in a car-dependent suburb in New Jersey, where she noticed strip malls and Wal-Marts slowly replacing farmland. Her introduction to nature came through hiking trips in Israel. As a counselor for a freshman backpacking program at Northwestern University, Daniella noticed that Americans outdoors seemed to need to arm themselves with performance clothing, specialized water bottles and sophisticated camping silverware. This made her think about how to interact with and enjoy nature simply. This year, Daniella is getting a Master’s in Geography from Ben Gurion University of the Negev. She also freelance writes, photographs and podcasts. In her free time, she takes day trips in the desert, drops off compost and cooks local foods like stuffed zucchini, kubbeh and majadara. Daniella gets her peak oil anxiety from James Howard Kunstler and her organic food dreams from Michael Pollan. Read more at her blog, TheTruthHerzl.com. Daniella can be reached at daniella (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
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