AMMAN — HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal, President of the Higher Council for Science and Technology, on Wednesday stressed the importance of supporting small-scale and home-based projects that contribute to economic growth, job creation, and improved productivity.

The remarks came during a visit to the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) and the National Seed Bank, where Prince El Hassan reviewed the centre’s research initiatives, Al Mamlaka TV reported.

The Prince called for a greater focus on social justice to build the capacities of young people, promote their integration, and empower women through a comprehensive approach to business development aligned with sustainable development goals. He also underlined the need to prioritise the agricultural sector and foster strategic partnerships between the Agricultural Research Centre and state institutions in line with national policy.

Prince El Hassan also emphasised transforming agricultural projects into economic and development ventures by leveraging opportunities to achieve mutual self-reliance and channelling capital within an integrated agricultural, economic, and social framework. He also reiterated his call for the establishment of a knowledge-based database linking water, food, energy, and ecosystems while ensuring the accuracy of information.

Highlighting the importance of regional cooperation, the Prince pointed to water cooperation in the Levant and stressed the need to empower vulnerable groups according to the urgency of their needs.

For his part, NARC Director-General Ibrahim Rawashdeh said that 75 per cent of biodiversity is deteriorating, 45 per cent of plant cover is threatened with extinction, and around 20,000 plant species are disappearing annually. He added that some 431 plant species have been introduced into the centre’s laboratories for analysis, and efforts are underway to establish training centres dedicated to protecting and developing these species.

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