IrWa – Improvement of Irrigation Water Management in Lebanon & Jordan

IrWa Project in Jordan - how to save water and increase yields

Jordan, a country struggling against water shortage

With less than 170 m3 of annual water per capita, Jordan is one of the most water stressed countries in
the world, far under the threshold of water poverty (500 m3/year/capita). The agricultural sector
remains the main water consumer with an allocation of more than 60% of the national water resources
exerting an unsustainable strain on the water balance. Being a strategic sector for the economical
support of the agribusiness and a condition sine qua non for the preservation of the rural socio-
economical system, considerable efforts were employed by the Jordanian government and the
international donors in building a comprehensive water strategy to sustain farming in the Jordan
Valley.

Critical points for water saving have been identified during the project study, such as moderate
awareness of farmers about techniques and methods to reduce the water losses while maintaining high
yields. During a 5 years project, IrWa has developed adapted technical solutions and new extension
approaches for farmers in collaboration with the National Centre for Agricultural Research and
Extension (NCARE) to improve crop production and increase the farmers’ income.

A zoom on IrWa activities in the Jordan Valley

The Jordan Valley is a narrow agricultural
strip located between Tiberias lake in the
north and the Dead sea in the south, which is
situated largely under the sea level. With an
ideal temperate climate for off season fruit
and vegetable production, the valley
represents the country's main crop production
area, and is highly competing for the water
allowance with urban centres. Despite the
massive switch from surface to drip irrigation
in the 80s, small scale farmers do not have the
technical knowledge or the financial capacity
to invest in efficient irrigation equipment,
inducing high water losses.
View of a village of the Jordan Valley

Efficient micro irrigation is linked with important technical efforts in terms of pumps, design, filters
and fertilizers and requires specific expertise. In Jordan this expertise is mainly provided by the private
sector, which, due to seemingly conflicting interests, usually results in low water use efficiency, over
use of chemicals and major costs increases for the farmers.
The core activities of IrWa project aimed at improving irrigation and fertilization management at on-
farm level. IrWa team worked in close collaboration with the national partner NCARE to develop an
approach based on multiple components; from financial support to improvement of farm equipment to
technical assistance for the introduction of innovative tools.
Provided With the Support of the European Union
 IrWa – Improvement of Irrigation Water Management in Lebanon & Jordan

Enhancing technical assistance: a pilot public extension service

To provide farmers with adapted technical messages a

pilot system for extension services was implemented
in the Jordan Valley. At the beginning, a team
composed of 6 Jordanian extension agents was
trained and specialized in irrigation and fertilization
issues. The engineers were in charge of providing
extension services and training to farmers. In total,
the project has so far trained more than 450 farmers
and around 100 students in relevant topics and
distributed more than 10,000 technical brochures all
over the country.

Ala Wahbeh, an engineer working for NCARE, giving a training for farmers

The partnership with Water Users and Farmers Associations

In addition to the training of farmers and technicians, the project adopted an innovative methodology
of pilot farms set-up. After assessing the on-farm irrigation network, an optimized design has been
drawn up by IrWa staff and NCARE extension agents. On the basis of the new design, the project
equipped all the 30 pilot farms with suitable materials for optimized the irrigation network and the
adapted operation and maintenance (filtration units, pipes, fertilizer injectors). Farm owners upgraded
their management skills and know-how through the learning by doing process but also served as
extension vectors for other farmers in the area.

Old filtration system Filtration system provided by the IrWa project

Provided With the Support of the European Union

 IrWa – Improvement of Irrigation Water Management in Lebanon & Jordan

The field work was organized in partnership with

three farmer associations to sustain associative
behaviour, ensure activities sustainability and
increase the impact of the project. All beneficiaries
signed an agreement to reimburse 20% of the total
cost to the association allowing other farmers to
benefit from the project support. As an example,
following the collaboration with IrWa project, the
budget of the Baladna Association for Agricultural
Services (B.A.A.S) increased with 11,200 JD and 8
new members subscribed.

On the right, Ali Mustafa (from B.A.A.S) attending to a field course on fertilization

Modern techniques for improved water quality

In addition to the work with the farmers, the project has improved the physical water quality through
the installation of self cleaning grid filtration units in 4 locations on the King Abdullah Canal, the
main source of water delivery in the Jordan Valley. The filtration units address a key problem for
agriculture in Jordan: the physical water quality. In fact, blended water from the Amman wastewater
treatment plants and fresh water from rainfall runoff is used for farming in the project area. The water
is heavily charged with solid materials and algae, requiring costly maintenance procedures. The
methodology promoted by the project is adapted to deal with this problem and represents a transfer of
technology well experimented in Italy. The new system is providing filtered water to approximately
800 farmers located in the project area.

Innovative water saving cultivation methods can help farmers in

dealing with water scarcity. Adopting a friendly user system and
locally available material, the project set up a soil-less unit in
Deir Alla Research Station. This technique may provide farmers
with a low cost and effective production technique that will
produce significant water savings if used on a larger scale. After
project completion, the system will be used by NCARE
researchers to experiment cash crop production using blended
wastewater to develop new opportunities for the whole
agricultural sector. Filed visit of the soil less system installed by
IrWa project

Provided With the Support of the European Union

 IrWa – Improvement of Irrigation Water Management in Lebanon & Jordan

Conclusions
The IrWa Project has proven to be a source of useful experiences and observations. The key asset of
the project is the work of a team composed of different specialists, who were able to establish stable
relationships with the farmers. At the same time the project enhanced the capacity of extension agents
to transfer the scientific results at the reach of the farmers.

The pilot activities realized by the project show that technical assistance provided by the public sector
can play an important role in enhancing the sustainability of agricultural activities in the Jordan
Valley. At the same time, the exchanges with the private sector (manufacturers, suppliers) represented
an asset for the success and the replication of the activities. Joint training sessions, dissemination of
technical recommendations and collaboration in the realization of demonstration activities have
increased the credibility of the technical proposals of the project.

The promotion of a more rational use of water resources, supporting the capacity of farmers to
properly manage alternative water sources, demonstrated a high potential for the increase of the
economical profitability and long term sustainability of the agricultural sector. The sustainability of
IrWa project actions now relies on the local partner, NCARE, that appears well equipped in dealing
with the challenge of providing farmers with the necessary support for sustainable water management.

Contacts
Jordan Office
Tel / fax +962 (6) 5627606
E-mail: icujord@go.com.jo
Lebanon Office
Tel/ Fax +991(1) 966099
E-mail: marco.perini@avsi.org
IrWA Web site: www.irwaproject.com

Provided With the Support of the European Union