AMMAN - Beneficiaries of water-conservation projects implemented under the MEDA Water Programme on Wednesday examined means to improve on-farm water management and evaluate the projects' achievements.
Representatives from Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Italy, among other MEDA countries, took part in a workshop on the optimisation of on-farm water use in irrigation organised by the European Union.
The participants reviewed the output of three sub-regional projects, including Institutional and Social Innovations in Irrigation Mediterranean Management (ISIIMM,) Improvement of Irrigation Water Management and MEDA Water Management Project (MEDWA), and also studied the weak points that hampered the implementation of some goals.
MEDWA field supervisor Hiba Abul Rub said 100,000 farmers directly and indirectly benefited from the initiative, which is implemented by the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD) and HWA Hilfswerk Austria.
"The project started in 2003 with the aim of improving on-farm irrigation water management and agricultural productivity," she told The Jordan Times yesterday.
Commenting on the project's main achievements, Abul Rub said JOHUD established a wastewater treatment plant in Ghor Safi, grey water storage units and water harvesting units in houses and farms.
"A group of farmers in the Ghor agreed to give us parts of their farms to establish small ponds for collecting rainwater. It helped save irrigation water and increased agricultural productivity," she noted.
Abul Rub said three water springs were rehabilitated as part of the programme, while scores of farmers received training on water management and farming practices.
The 40 million euro MEDA Water project is part of the EU's support for the development of the water sector in Middle East and North African countries under the MEDA Regional Indicative Programming.
It includes several project, mainly ISIIMM, which presented a number of methods on irrigation water management through local institutions.
The MEDA Water programme began in 2002 with a call for proposals, and nine projects were selected from more than 40 applications for implementation, which started in May 2003.
It aims at improving local water management conditions, capacity building and technology transfer.
By Hana Namrouqa
© Jordan Times 2009
