Conference Paper
Assessing Economic and Distributional Impacts of Restoring Degraded Rangelands in Jordan: A CGE Analysis
No.
ERF_31_EN171
Publisher
ERF
Date
March, 2025
Topic
Q5. Environmental Economics
Jordan’s rangelands play a critical role in the country’s ecosystem, economy, and cultural heritage, supporting biodiversity, rural livelihoods, and agricultural production. However, overgrazing, climate change, and socio-political challenges have led to severe rangeland degradation, undermining the sustainability of small ruminant production—a key component of rural livelihoods and Jordan’s agricultural sector. This study evaluates the economic implications of rangeland restoration through a micro-water harvesting approach, focusing on productivity gains and associated costs. Utilizing a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model, we simulate scenarios to capture the interconnected effects on Jordan’s economy, including the impacts on small ruminant production, factor markets, and household welfare. Results highlight that rangeland restoration provides positive overall welfare gains, particularly for rural households, by reducing production costs, increasing small ruminant output, and stimulating labor demand in agricultural sectors. However, while the investment is relatively modest, it generates positive GDP impacts and facilitates export growth. Overall, the study suggests that rangeland restoration offers significant economic, social, and environmental returns, with implications that extend beyond Jordan to similar contexts in the MENA region.
Authors
Sawsan Abdul-Jalil
Ph.D. Researcher, Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany
Authors
Jonas Luckmann
Senior Research Fellow, International Agricultural Trade and...