he National Center for Agricultural Research and Technology Transfer (NCARTT), in cooperation with the Extension Department, organized the first National Olive Festival on 17 November 2000. The festival marked the beginning of the olive harvesting season. The festival included displays of different olive varieties, i.e. local, improved, and introduced, in addition to samples of oils from different varieties. There was a contest for tasting olive oil and recognizing the different varieties. The Minister of Agriculture presented awards to "The Olive Lady of the Year," "The Olive Man of the Year" and "The Best Oil."
      Discussions with farmers showed that the local varieties produced more oil than the introduced and improved varieties.
      The Jordanian Project Component contributed to this festival by organizing a traditional food fair where roasted wheat (Galiya) and traditional bread (Shraak) made from local wheat were prepared on the spot by a woman from a local women's society in Muwaqqar.
      The project also prepared samples of fruits and jam from the under-utilized tree species Arbutus andrachna. This tree was used in the past for syrup production. Festival visitors tasted samples of the Arbutus fruits, roasted wheat, and traditional bread from wheat landraces.
      Dr Mohammad Ajlouni, National Project Manager, stressed the need to reinforce the participation of the Project in this type of festival to promote the conservation of dryland agrobiodiversity through added value and marketing opportunities.