improving the standard of living for farmer women Female entrepreneurship in Jordan has played an important role in changing public attitudes towards women. They have gained more respect inside their families, as they were considered more reliable, productive members of the family, for contributing to the family’s income. The position of women in the Jordanese workforce has grown at various rates during the past half century. Today, 14.9% of Jordanian women are employed in the workforce. Improvements have been significant regarding women’s ability to ascertain education and medical care, with their shares in terms of life expectancy and educational achievement being nearly equally distributed. 

However, the gain in economic and political participation and in some legal rights has lagged behind. Women are less likely to have their own wealth due, partially, to the prevailing inheritance law. For example, only 10.4% of women own real estate; males have the vast majority of agricultural land holdings, compared to a mere 2.7% of females being agricultural land holders.

The Specific Union was established at the beginning of 2007 as a volunteer union and all of it’s members are farmer women. It was established because a lot of farmer women in all Jordan realised the hard circumstances and big difficulties that women face like: lack of occupations, poverty, low standard of living, violence, lack of awareness about family planning and lack of the use of agricultural land. 

The Specific Union of Farmer Women in Jordan is changing the stereotypical image of women and proves that Jordanian women are capable of participating in the social and economic development if they have the opportunity. Entrepreneurship raises the income in the family. Thanks to the Specific Union  women meet and receive different trainings.
The Specific Union of Farmer Women in Jordan started with 7 agricultural societies in Jarash and Ajloun. 

The 2011 project creates potential for a great diversity of economic activities by Jordan rural women to improve their standard of living. Economic empowerment and capacity building for rural women and girls is giving them the opportunity to develop their projects and to market their products. It builds capacity for the members through awareness workshops and training sessions, meetings and shows (organised for 1020 women). The total outreach of the project is: 1020 trained women and 1332 members of societies. 

The target areas are the rural communities which suffer from big difficulties and problems like: low living standards, poverty, and unemployment, lack of awareness, women neglectfulness and lack of equalization between rural women and women in the cities and between rural women and men. Developing women in rural communities is the basis for developing rural communities and it is part of a comprehensive development of the community. 

The objectives of the project stem from the objectives of the specific union which are:
-	Develop rural women to be equal to men and fight for the rights of women and girls in rural communities in Jordan.
-	Diversify income sources through support performing income generating projects by giving turning loans 
-	Capacity building and empower rural women with capacity developing for rural girls by giving educational loans to activate their roles and function in building a healthy society.
-	To raise women awareness.
-	To increase their representation in the General Jordanian Farmers.
 
The expected results of the project are:
1-	Raise living standards for rural communities in Gor, Irbid, Al Mafraq, Al Balqa, Al Tafilah and Karak   through performing income generating projects which will be  performed by women and which will reflect on their families.
2-	The rate of educated girls with increase in the two areas.
3-	Women will be able to provide their needs themselves which will raise their living standard and empower them without waiting for outer support which reflects on their abilities and interacting in the society. Women will be able to make decisions and to participate in the local policies in the area. 
Training courses for the establishment of project management and to encourage women to work and produce. And courses in the packaging and sale, purchase and treatment of customers so that it matches the specifications and standards. And participating in exhibitions, interior and exterior. 
  The project contributes to solving the problem of marketing and developing the concept of production and marketing to women and women's associations and increase agricultural productivity, and the project will focus on the implementation of awareness programs and workshops for farmers. 
Announcing the starting of the project by media campaign: 
1-	 training sessions for farmers about how to start their projects and writing proposals.
2-	 workshops each one lasts 3 days in Gor , Irbid ,Al Mafraq , Al Balqa ,Al Tafilah and Karak     about Jordanian laws which related to women rights. 
3-	Hold 4 meetings for the specific union for Jordanian farmers women to establish the net work contains rural women in the region with women organizations to work together for women rights.
4-	Copy brochures and posters about the union and the project.
5-	 workshops for rural women about election to encourage them to participate in elections and represent themselves. 
6-	 training sessions for rural women in agricultural projects.
7-	Workshops and training sessions in packaging products.
8-	Training sessions on marketing the  products.

In this project we will work on economic empowerment and capacity building for rural women and girls by  giving them the opportunity to develop their projects and to market them and by building capacity for women  who are members in the specific union for farmer women through : training sessions, workshops, meetings and shows to build their capacity and essential skills and we will also establish a network containing rural women from all rural areas in Jordan and the surrounding countries so as to exchange experiences and to communicate easily. The project will be performed in Gor, Irbid, Al Mafraq, Al Balqa, Al Tafilah and Karak areas  during one year and then we will work to cover all rural communities in Jordan one by one.    

Sustainability is reached through the specific union which contains women from all over Jordan and some organizations women will perform the project. It is expected that the success of the project and its positive effect on the living standard will encourage them to last and continue after performing the project.

Sustainability is that women produce products properly and well matched and marketed their products and generate additional income for them to raise their standard of living and of their families, this ensures continuity of the project. Contracts will be signed between the women and  the Specific Union and that will ensure the products and their specifications and commitment of women and the Specific  Union in selling  of products and marketing and training products will ensure the production and exhibition will be permanent. The profit margin on the products is covered in the future wages and salaries and this will ensure continuity and sustainability and success of the project in the future. We will develop the project  for export out of Jordan in the future.

1) Develop rural women to be equal to men and fight the rights of women and girls in rural communities in Jordan.
2) Diversify income sources through support performing income generating projects by giving turning loans.
3) To rise women awareness.