HYDROPONIC GREEN FARMING INITIATIVE PROGRAM

This document was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by Eco Consult under the Hydroponic Green Farming Initiative Program "Cooperative Agreement No AID-263-A-13-00004

HYDROPONIC GREEN FARMING INITIATIVE PROGRAM

PROGRESS REPORT

OCT-DEC 2015

2 Hydroponic Green Farming Initiative (HGFI) Progressive quarterly report October- December 2015

Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................................................... 2

List of Figures .................................................................................................................................................................... 3

List of Tables ...................................................................................................................................................................... 4

List of Abbreviations: ......................................................................................................................................................... 4

1. Project Overview ........................................................................................................................................................ 5

1.1 Project Description ............................................................................................................................................. 5

1.2 Project objectives ................................................................................................................................................ 5

1.3 Purpose of this report .......................................................................................................................................... 5

2. Demonstration sites .................................................................................................................................................... 5

2.1 Bani Kananeh H.H site / Um Ali ........................................................................................................................ 5

2.2 Hisham Taji Commercial Site/Jordan Valley ..................................................................................................... 7

2.3 Rijk Zwaan Demonstration Site/Al-Yadoudeh ................................................................................................... 8

3. Activities during this quarter ...................................................................................................................................... 9

3.1 Field Day at Al-Nimer Farm ............................................................................................................................ 10

3.2 60 Years of U.S.-Jordan Partnership in the Water Sector ............................................................................... 11

3.3 Ro’ya TV Report about the Hydroponic Project in Jordan .............................................................................. 13

3.4 Attending Water and Development Congress and Exhibition .......................................................................... 13

3.5 Public Health Survey at Jordan Valley’s Farms ............................................................................................... 14

3.6 Public Health Survey Presentation at the U.S. Embassy-Amman .................................................................... 14

3.7 Agricultural Engineers Association Training Course ....................................................................................... 16

3.8 Hydroponic Training for Students at the Amman National School: ................................................................ 16

3.9 Attending the First Scientific Agricultural Congress ....................................................................................... 17

3.10 A Training Session at Bani-Kananeh with Um Ali: ......................................................................................... 18

4. On Going Site Results .............................................................................................................................................. 18

5. Consultations ............................................................................................................................................................ 19

5.1 Dr. Safi Al-Sartawi/Madaba: ............................................................................................................................ 19

5.2 Ahmad Al-Zu’bi/Al-Ramtha: ........................................................................................................................... 20

6. Summary of the quarter ............................................................................................................................................ 20

7. Way forward ............................................................................................................................................................. 20


List of Figures Figure 1: Mrs. Um Ali in front of the Thyme green house................................................................................................. 6

Figure 2: Hydroponic cucumber after planting. ................................................................................................................. 6

Figure 3: Preparation of the hydroponic drip system. ........................................................................................................ 7

Figure 4: Pots filled with volcanic tuff, ready for transplantation. ..................................................................................... 8

Figure 5: Cucumber crop at Hisham Al-Taji’s farm .......................................................................................................... 8

Figure 6: Preparing the raft basins. ..................................................................................................................................... 8

Figure 7: Lining the basins with polyethylene. .................................................................................................................. 9

Figure 8: Different types of lettuce planted hydroponically with Rijk Zwaan at Al-Yadoudeh. ....................................... 9

Figure 9: Eng. Laith at the field day explaining the Hydroponics technique .................................................................. 10

Figure 10: Invitees of the field at the hydroponic cucumber greenhouses. ...................................................................... 11

Figure 11: Ambassad)or Wells during her speech ............................................................................................................ 11

Figure 12: Nutrient film technique. .................................................................................................................................. 12

Figure 13: Drip system. .................................................................................................................................................... 12

Figure 14: Floating raft system. ........................................................................................................................................ 12

Figure 15: Hydroponic cucumber and lettuce at the event. .............................................................................................. 12

Figure 16: Ambassador Wells and Dr. Al-Nasser checking the crops. ............................................................................ 12

Figure 17: From Ro’ya TV spot. ...................................................................................................................................... 13

Figure 18: HGFI team questioning a Jordan Valley farmer. ............................................................................................ 14

Figure 19: Worker in the Jordan Valley applying pesticides. .......................................................................................... 14

Figure 20: HGFI Team with ANS students. ..................................................................................................................... 17

Figure 21: Students at ANS helping in the installation of the raft system for lettuce. ..................................................... 17

Figure 22: Students placing the lettuce seedlings in the cups for plantation .................................................................... 17

Figure 24: Eng. Laith while explaining the Hydroponics technique at the training session. ........................................... 18

Figure 23: the training session invitees checking the hydroponic cucumber at Bani-Kananeh. ...................................... 18

Figure 26: Hydroponic tomato at Shehadeh Murad farm. ................................................................................................ 19

Figure 25: Shehadeh Murad hydroponic greenhouse. ..................................................................................................... 19


List of Tables Table 1: Number and size of farms surveyed in the Jordan Valley. ................................................................................. 15

Table 2: Owners, managers and workers were interviewed about use of pesticide, age, and smoking. .......................... 15

Table 3: Symptoms that could be related to pesticides .................................................................................................... 15

Table 4: PPE worn by workers/farmers during application of pesticides........................................................................ 15

Table 5: Results of the thyme production at Al-Areesh ................................................................................................... 19

List of Abbreviations:

B/C Benefit / Cost Ratio

CBO Community Based Organization

dS/m Deci-Siemens per meter

du Dunum

EC Electrical Conductivity

GH Greenhouse

HGFI Hydroponic Green Farming Initiative

HH Household

IRR Internal Rate of Return

JD Jordanian Dinars (1 USD = 0.71 JD)

JV Jordan Valley

pH power of Hydrogen (a measure of acidity)

ppm parts per million

USAID United States Agency for International Development

WUR Wageningen University and Research center


1. Project Overview

1.1 Project Description

The Hydroponic Green Farming Initiative (HGFI) project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by ECO Consult, is a three year program that aims to introduce an integrated model of hydroponic farming tied with renewable energy generation in large-commercial farms and small rural households. This integrated system will promote water conservation and clean energy use in hydroponic farming systems to increase agricultural productivity and improve livelihoods.

1.2 Project objectives

The USAID-funded HGFI addresses: 1. Water efficiency in agriculture through the use of hydroponic systems that significantly reduce water

loss when compared to traditional farming practices.

2. Agriculture productivity through increased quantity and value of produce.

3. Use of cost effective and environmentally friendly green energy sources for farming instead of fossil

fuels.

The HGFI tackles these important points by encouraging farmers to adopt integrated hydroponic-photovoltaic technologies. This will not only address the increasingly severe environmental issues associated with traditional farming techniques, but will also provide an opportunity for farmers to adopt innovative technology that results in augmented crop productivity and input savings.

1.3 Purpose of this report

The first quarter of the third year focuses on spreading the concept of hydroponics in different areas around the Kingdom; not only for farmers and households; but reaching the students who form a huge important portion of the country’s development, this quarter presents the project’s efforts in disseminating the knowledge through demonstrations and training sessions. The quarterly progress report (Oct-Dec, 2015) includes the following content: demonstration sites, outreach activities and events, financial and administrative issues.

2. Demonstration sites

2.1 Bani Kananeh H.H site / Um Ali


A successful previous experiment on hydroponically produced thyme; an active HH woman; her good reputation; and community’s reaction were the major reasons for starting a new crop hydroponic demonstration at Bani Kananeh. Indeed after the success of the thyme plantation, there was a need to show that other crops could be grown hydroponically, especially when knowing that this area is not famous for vegetable production under irrigation.

The new crop planted was cucumber grown in perlite with a top feeding irrigation system. A small green house (16m x 8m) was installed in the garden close to the thyme green house. Um Ali was planting cucumber in soil during the past few years, consuming a lot of water and fertilizers, and this was an opportunity to save inputs and produce high quality cucumbers, in addition to spreading ideas among people in Bani Kananeh.

Planting occurred in early October, 2015 before the winter season, as this crop is a summer crop and can’t withstand cold conditions. The results obtained were encouraging and the yield was good when taking into consideration the weather limitations in the months after planting. Um Ali was really excited with this trial, especially the closed irrigation system which was able to save large volumes of water compared to the traditional methods of farming cucumber. The water consumption during October, November and December was not more than 10 cubic meters.

More than 500 transplants were planted in 250 pots. Drip irrigation pipes with 4 liters per hour discharge were installed over the media to provide plants with the required water and fertilizer. A closed system was adopted this time, unlike the thyme greenhouse, which was an open system. This was meant to show both methods to visitors, trainees, and the local community and to let them compare the savings between the two systems.

An automated irrigation system was installed to ensure fixed frequencies and durations of irrigation. The controller was linked to the filtration unit and the irrigation pump and finally to the tank, which serves as the water source and sink in this closed recirculating system. The overall impressions from the site owner, participants of the training course held there (explained below) and the communities were positive. Many farmers/HH members were keen and are now encouraged to start their own projects, but financing remains the main barrier!

Figure 1: Mrs. Um Ali in front of the Thyme green house.

Figure 2: Hydroponic cucumber after planting.


2.2 Hisham Taji Commercial Site/Jordan Valley

A hydroponic training course and feedback from several HGFI farmers are two factors that motivated Agricultural Engineer Hisham Al-Taji to start a hydroponic trial at one of his farms in the Jordan Valley. As one of the biggest farms in Deir Alla, with a good farming reputation, and 400 greenhouses planted with different varieties of vegetables, the Hisham Taji’s demonstration site brings new farming techniques close to Jordan Valley’s farmers, which will encourage neighbors to adopt hydroponics on their own farms. The HGFI team was offered three greenhouses to set up the demonstration, and because Hisham is a vegetable farmer, cucumber was selected as the crop. The design called for six lines of cucumbers in each greenhouse on a 1 percent slope. The bottom of each line was filled with sand to prevent punctures to the polyethylene when it is laid down over the sand. Volcanic tuff-filled pots were then placed in a row on top of the polyethylene strip. In total, 1840 seedlings were transplanted into 920 pots in the first greenhouse; 2208 seedlings into 1104 pots in the second; and 1104 seedlings in 1104 pots in the third greenhouse during mid-November 2015. The water source for the farm is a brackish water well that is being desalinized using a reverse osmosis (RO) system. The drainage water from the three hydroponic greenhouses empties into a pool that is located nearby, supplying the remaining greenhouses with irrigation water for vegetables grown in soil. This set up is called an open system because the water is not recirculated in the hydroponic greenhouses. A fertigation unit was installed by the HGFI in order to control pH and EC levels of the nutrient solution. This gives better accuracy in the plant feeding process.

Figure 3: Preparation of the hydroponic drip system.


2.3 Rijk Zwaan Demonstration Site/Al-Yadoudeh

Rijk Zwaan, a Dutch company specialized in the production and sale of seeds, offered the HGFI team a greenhouse at one of its sites located in Al-Yadoudeh to demonstrate hydroponic production of lettuce. The site has 17 dunum with 10 greenhouses planted with different types of vegetables. One of these greenhouses with an area of 360 m2 was prepared for installation of a raft system for planting lettuce. At the beginning of October 2015, the land inside the greenhouse was leveled to have zero slope. Then the house was divided into four basins sized 2.5 x 22 m each, and covered with polyethylene to prevent any leakage of water into the ground. A pump was installed at one corner of each basin, and pipes were linked together in each basin with its own pump, then basins were filled with water. Four types of lettuce were planted in special perforated plastic cups filled with hydro-tones (clay pellets) to serve as the growing medium. The cups were placed into the 18 pre-drilled holes in each polystyrene board, with the boards floating in a line on the surface of the water in the basins, with the lettuce roots submerged in water. The pumps were set to work for thirty minutes every three hours. The plastic was removed from around the green house as the lettuce is a winter crop that won’t bear the high temperatures inside a closed green house.

Figure 4: Pots filled with volcanic tuff, ready for transplantation. Figure 5: Cucumber crop at Hisham Al-Taji’s farm

Figure 6: Preparing the raft basins.


The four varieties of lettuce were: ‘Baby Romaine’ (864 heads); ‘Lollo Russo’ (864 heads); ‘Lollo Bionda’ (864 heads); and ‘Iceberg’ (1152 heads); water consumed was 20 m3 and the cost of the fertilizers used was only 50 JD. During this quarter, Al-Yadoudeh site had two plantations that were two months apart. At the beginning of December, the same greenhouse was cleaned from the residuals of the previous crop and planted again with lettuce, using the same equipment and techniques. The greenhouse was re-covered with polyethylene, as we had entered the cooler winter season. For the second plantation, six types of lettuce were planted: ‘Satin Lollo Russo’ (1152 heads); ‘Butter Head Flandria’ (576 heads); ‘Cherokee Lettuce (Batavia)’ (576 heads); ‘Kristin Greek Oak Leaf’ (576 heads); ‘Mondai Red Oak Leaf’ (576 heads), ‘Nadine Butter Head’ (576 heads); and ‘Concord Lollo Rosso’ (1152 heads). The lettuce produced at this site was sold by Rijk Zwaan in the local market, and some of the production from the first planting was featured in a display for the closing ceremony for the USAID Institutional Support and Strengthening Projects that highlighted 60 Years of U.S.- Jordan cooperation in the water sector, mentioned below. Rijk Zwaan’s management team was very pleased with the trial and expressed their intention to invest in more greenhouses in the coming seasons. The production was attractive to consumers and merchants. They are willing to pay more to have hydroponically produced lettuce as this type of farming is producing a clean product, free of soil and dust, and free of pests and insects. The merchant who bought the whole production paid 0.35 JD per head while the same varieties grown in soil are available at a fraction of this price.

3. Activities during this quarter

This quarter highlighted many activities that reinforced the outreach of the project, and other important events that showed the magnitude of work being implemented.

Figure 7: Lining the basins with polyethylene.

Figure 8: Different types of lettuce planted hydroponically at Rijk Zwaan in Al-Yadoudeh.


3.1 Field Day at Al-Nimer Farm

The first rainy day of the season coincided with one of HGFI’s field days, and this time it was in Madaba at Dr. Hussam Al-Nimer’s farm. On Wednesday, October 7, 2015, 27 guests from different public and private sector agricultural groups attended the field day to hear more about the hydroponics project. Eng. Laith Al Waked (Project Manager) started with an introduction about the project and then went through details on how the hydroponic farming process is implemented, including the benefits and obstacles to be expected. During the explanation many invitees and potential hydroponic farmers had numerous questions such as the length of the payback period, the export opportunity, and water quality used to apply the technique. Eng. Laith clarified that the payback period depends on the crop and the season, and it can vary between one to three years. He declared that hydroponic production is better than traditional soil grown practices because it uses less pesticides and produces a better quality. And he added that in the Netherlands they use a very high water quality that is even better than drinking water, but here in Jordan it is not available, so the experiments have been implemented using normal water quality and the results are still very good. After the explanation and discussions, the attendees visited some of the hydroponic cucumber greenhouses in the farm, where they were impressed with the quality and the ease of application of the hydroponic process. The questions and answers continued and an interested farmer informed the HGFI team that he is tempted to apply the technique at his 30 dunum farm but had a visit to a hydroponic farm in North Shuneh and was shocked with the high cost of implementation and the complicated system used there. Fortunately, after the Nimer farm field day he was less wary about staring a hydroponic project after seeing how simple and applicable the process can be. The field day gave a very good impression to the attendees and served as a viable alternative to many problems with water and inputs faced by farmers in Jordan. Phone calls were received expressing how this project can help the farmers and give Jordan an opportunity to generate jobs and produce greater GDP from the agricultural sector.

Figure 9: Eng. Laith at the field day explaining the Hydroponics technique


3.2 60 Years of U.S.-Jordan Partnership in the Water Sector

Under the patronage of the U.S Ambassador to Jordan, Mrs. Alice G. Wells, and the Minister of Water and Irrigation, Dr. Hazem Al-Nasser, a ceremony was held at King Hussein Youth City on Tuesday, October 13, 2015 to honor “60 years of Cooperation between the U.S and Jordan in developing the Kingdom’s water sector. The Ambassador gave an impressive speech outlining the global water challenges, climate change, the scarcity of water, and the partnership between the US and Jordan in tackling many of the problems. In her statement,

Mrs. Wells underlined the “power of partnership” between the U.S and Jordan in the area of water since the 1950s. (http://hgfi.org/media/news/hgfi-news/?ID=550&Link=318). Dr. Al-Nasser pointed out how essential water is to Jordan’s economic and social development and that the good relationship between the two countries was reflected in the achievements of the water sector. A hydroponic display was installed in the hallway, presenting two techniques: a floating raft system for lettuce and a drip irrigation system for cucumber, which both seized the attention of the U.S Ambassador, the Minister, and all the workshop participants during the break. The participants tasted the fresh cucumber and lettuce and were impressed by the technique and the fresh crop. The crops were an output of the HGFI from different sites -- cucumbers from Dr. Hussam Al-Nimer’s farm and the lettuce was from Rijk Zwaan’s site at Al-Yadoudeh.

Figure 10: Invitees of the field at the hydroponic cucumber greenhouses.

Figure 11: Ambassad)or Wells during her speech

http://hgfi.org/media/news/hgfi-news/?ID=550&Link=318


Figure 13: Drip system. Figure 12: Nutrient film technique.

Figure 14: Floating raft system.

Figure 15: Hydroponic cucumber and lettuce at the event. Figure 16: Ambassador Wells and Dr. Al-Nasser checking the crops.


3.3 Ro’ya TV Report about the Hydroponic Project in Jordan

Follow the link please to see the different stakeholders’ opinions about this type of farming. https://www.youtube.com/attribution_link?a=pBtx1726WZo&u=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DBF0PuvA0-ZI%26feature%3Dshare

3.4 Attending Water and Development Congress and Exhibition

“Jordan faces a future with very limited water resources, among the lowest in the world; placing Jordan in a category of having an absolute water shortage with associated problems related to food production and public health. The gap between suppressed demand and available supplies is widening every day, with only limited and most likely very expensive options to partially alleviate water shortages for domestic and industrial uses.” Minister of Water and Irrigation, Dr. Hazem Al-Nasser. Water is one of the most critical issues facing the world today, with the developing countries facing some of the biggest challenges. The Water and Development Congress & Exhibition brings leaders and decision-makers together from inside and outside the water sector to address the key issue of “Water Security for Sustainable Growth.” Organized by the International Water Association (IWA) in Jordan from October 18-22, 2015, the Congress featured a range of topics and a diverse set of viewpoints from global water leaders. Keynote speakers set the daily tone and addressed the main opportunities to find solutions for global water challenges. The Water and Development Congress & Exhibition is a biennial global event on water solutions for developing countries. Attendees were invited to contribute to this event by sharing knowledge and expertise with fellow professionals working on water resources, water supply and sanitation with a focus on emerging economies. The Congress focused on addressing the global water challenges and

Figure 17: From Ro’ya TV spot.

https://www.youtube.com/attribution_link?a=pBtx1726WZo&u=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DBF0PuvA0-ZI%26feature%3Dshare

https://www.youtube.com/attribution_link?a=pBtx1726WZo&u=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DBF0PuvA0-ZI%26feature%3Dshare


the adoption of new paradigms and technologies to catalyze transformational change and support transition to new ways of managing water resources and delivering water services.

3.5 Public Health Survey at Jordan Valley’s Farms

As part of HGFI’s interest in having a healthier lifestyle and insuring safe use of pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides, a survey was conducted to establish a baseline for practices in the Jordan Valley. The study was part of a University of Arizona Master of Public Health internship by an American student, Mr. Matthew Maurer, which was facilitated by USAID’s office in Amman, connecting Mr. Maurer to ECO Consult and the HGFI. The objective of the study was to deliver information about the public health risks involved with applying pesticides in Jordan. Using evidence collected from field visits concerning use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) he elaborated a response plan to address the problems and impress upon affected communities the need to develop positive attitudes and adopt recommendations for use of PPE. A total of 108 farm surveys were collected from the North, Middle, South Jordan Valley and Safi area. A total of 143 people contributed responses, considering that the survey included questions for both the farm owner or manager and the workers. Questions probed the precautions operators consider while applying the pesticides to crops, the symptoms they face, what they actually wear for protection while mixing and spraying, and the types of pesticides they use and their active ingredient. Results of the surveys are explained in details in the following section.

3.6 Public Health Survey Presentation at the U.S. Embassy-Amman

• As a result of the public health surveys of the farmers in the Jordan Valley, and after a detailed analysis of the data received, it was time for the information to be shared with the people involved. The information was summarized, prepared and organized in a PowerPoint presentation that showed clear conclusions about the lack of health awareness on Jordan farms. On Sunday, December 13, 2015, a presentation was held at the U.S Embassy, where the HGFI team and staff from the USAID’s office gathered to hear Matthew’s findings. Greater precautions must be taken to use PPE during the application of pesticides, and it was decided that HGFI would focus more attention on building public awareness about dealing with toxic and poisonous chemicals. Key results are shown in Tables 1-4:

Figure 19: Worker in the Jordan Valley applying pesticides. Figure 18: HGFI team questioning a Jordan Valley farmer.


Table 1: Number and size of farms surveyed in the Jordan Valley. Statistic North Middle South Safi Total Number surveyed 27 26 29 26 108 Average size (ha) 7.1 5.8 10.2 13.2 9.1 Mode size (ha) 3 3 4 3 3

The survey uncovered the real situation in the Jordan Valley – that farm workers need more instruction on the use of PPE and owners should enforce or incentivize the use of PPE. For example, there can be little doubt that the high incidence of burning eyes is related to the lack of eye protection.

Table 2: Owners, managers and workers were interviewed about use of pesticide, age, and smoking. Category Owner Manager Worker All Combined Total Interviewed 37 52 54 143 Total Using Pesticide 32 39 54 125 Average Age (years) 49.5 41.3 33.6 40.4 Percentage who smoked 81% 52% 52% 55%

Table 3: Symptoms that could be related to pesticides Symptom Total Percent Burning of the eyes 60 48% Tearing 55 44% Burning of the skin 44 35% Headache 43 34% Salivation 24 19% Difficulty Breathing 21 17% Weakness 20 16% Nausea 19 15% Chest Tightness 12 10% Vomiting 7 6% Muscle Cramps 7 6%

Table 4: PPE worn by workers/farmers during application of pesticides. Category Response yes Total Response Percent Hat 82 125 66% Boots 67 125 54% Gloves 46 125 37% Scarf 41 125 33% Mask 40 125 32% Coverall 24 125 19% Eye Protection 16 125 13%


3.7 Agricultural Engineers Association Training Course

HGFI participated in a training course held at the Agricultural Engineers Association for a group of Palestinian farmers and engineers from the public and private sectors. HGFI’s role was to introduce the Jordanian experience in hydroponic farming, showing how farmers started adopting the technique with the minimal costs and readily available inputs. Nutrient solutions for different crops were discussed, installation steps were identified and management requirements and tools were explained. The depth of scientific discussions was useful to both the Palestinians and the Jordanians. The Palestinians are suffering from water shortages, similar to Jordan, and this is one of the possible solutions that could be applied to address water challenges in agriculture. The training session was successful and fruitful according to the participants and organizers. At the end of the session, a training manual was distributed for all to disseminate the knowledge of HGFI in the region.

3.8 Hydroponic Training for Students at the Amman National School:

After HGFI stimulated interest from farmers the team decided it was time to include students in the discussion. Two 11th grade students from the Amman National School, Fares and Celina, were researching hydroponics with the desire of making a demonstration as part of their study for solutions to keep the environment clean and safe. Their presentation – “A Healthier Planet” – was prepared for the 4th Youth Conference for Environment & Science which will be held at the Doom School in India. The students were very excited to learn about the hydroponics, and they practiced it by themselves to get a closer and more accurate understanding of the concept. An explanation of the hydroponics was given by Eng. Laith Al-Waked, the Project Manager, followed by an installation of a floating raft system for lettuce with the assistance of Fares and Celina, who lead the plantation of the crop in cooperation with the rest of the students. Small manuals with all the important hydroponic details were issued to the students, and the daily measurement schedule for pH and EC was explained by Laith on the Physics Laboratory blackboard. The fresh minds and enthusiasm of the students was rewarding to observe – and the HGFI team thought that this could be an interesting new way of doing agriculture that might interest lots of Jordanian students. Many parents in Jordan to not encourage their children to pursue an agricultural career, but hydroponic production of high value vegetables might be looked at in a different light. As the U.S. Ambassador remarked on her first visit to a hydroponic demonstration, she said, “It looks so clinical!” These small in-expensive experiments are great ways to spread the news about the clean and easy hydroponic technique and with its much lower use of water and inputs it can be creditied as a green initiative that will benefit people’s health and the Earth.


3.9 Attending the First Scientific Agricultural Congress

The First Scientific Agricultural Congress aimed to put colleagues and researchers together to see presentations of the latest agricultural science, discuss the latest research and studies, and exchange experiences among colleagues and experts. The Congress addressed four key themes: Plant Production; Animal Production; Nutrition and Food Technology; and Natural Resources along with general themes of interest to the agricultural sector. Owing to the importance of olive cultivation in the Governorate of Irbid, the Congress hosted international experts from Greece to talk about olive quality and the latest studies on methods of cultivation and processing. A panel discussion included the Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Director General of the Jordanian Cooperative Corporation (JCC) and the Director General of the Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) and others interested in the agricultural sector.

Figure 21: Students at ANS helping in the installation of the raft system for lettuce.

Figure 20: HGFI Team with ANS students.

Figure 22: Students placing the lettuce seedlings in the cups for plantation


3.10 A Training Session at Bani-Kananeh with Um Ali:

One of the most successful demonstrations of hydroponics in Jordan is at Bani Kananeh in Irbid. Under the supervision of Um Ali, this site is a favorite place for a HGFI field day, a visit or a training session. The last hydroponic training session in 2015 was held at Bani-Kananeh Women’s Charitable Association, where around 30 participants gathered to hear more about the hydroponic experience. The presentation of the hydroponic systems and techniques was followed by a site visit for two hydroponic greenhouses (thyme and cucumber) to compare the results to a soil planted greenhouse for thyme. Many inquiries were presented and answered. The training formed a link with the Bani Kananeh inhabitants and community, who showed interest in hydroponic farming. Many of them insisted on a more detailed follow up session lasting three days so they can feel confident in applying the system in their own properties.

4. On Going Site Results

• As a result for the ongoing Hydroponic sites planted during the previous quarters; Al-Areesh CBO/Madaba had 5 cuts of thyme, which was planted in April, 2015, where the consumption of water for the total period was 41 m3, and the results for the cuts are illustrated in Table 5.

Figure 23: Eng. Laith while explaining the Hydroponics technique at the training session.

Figure 24: the training session invitees checking the hydroponic cucumber at Bani-Kananeh.


Number of Cut Date of Plantation Production (kg) 1 May 7, 2015 3.65 2 June 5, 2015 7.5 3 July 14, 2015 25 4 August 16, 2015 34 5 December 15, 2015 93

Table 5: Results of the thyme production at Al-Areesh

• Shehadeh Murad’s commercial site in the Jordan Valley had good results from the previous

Hydroponics experience at his farm, where pepper was grown in perlite; according to that he decided to add a new line in one of his tomato greenhouses, so instead of having four lines in the green house, two lines were re-installed to leave a space for a new line to fit in, and have five lines in the greenhouse as a result. And after the new design, a new plantation for tomato occurred in November, 2015.

5. Consultations

During this quarter, two farm owners contacted the HGFI office to get more information and consultations about the technique in order to initialize the first steps of the process in their farms.

5.1 Dr. Safi Al-Sartawi/Madaba:

His farm is located near the airport and he has been thinking carefully about the decision to try hydroponic farming. Eng. Laith Al-Waked provided advice and consultations to make it easier for him to settle and choose the appropriate crop. In January 2016, Dr. Safi called to inform the HGFI team that he decided to invest in five green houses to start his hydroponic project. The team is in the process of designing the system and preparing a bill of quantity so he can run the feasibility study according to his marketing plan.

Figure 25: Hydroponic tomato at Shehadeh Murad farm. Figure 26: Shehadeh Murad hydroponic greenhouse.


5.2 Ahmad Al-Zu’bi/Al-Ramtha:

Ahmad Al Zu’bi has decided to grow thyme at his garden in Al-Ramtha as his first hydroponic trial. The plantation will be in a small greenhouse, and the design for it was prepared by the HGFI team. He selected a drip irrigation system with tuff as the planting medium. Ahmad planted his thyme in December following HGFI instructions with regard to nutrient solution and other management issues. Marketing was planned by him and mostly the production will be processed to be sold as “za’tar”.

6. Summary of the quarter

• Around 25 days were registered as field days for the purpose of the public health survey in the Jordan Valley.

• Three training sessions took place during this quarter, with an approximate number of 63 attendees • One field day registered for this quarter, with 27 participants. • Designed two new demonstration sites in Amman and Ramtha. • Four new plantations took place during this quarter; one cucumber plantation at Bani-Kananeh, another

cucumber plantation in the JV, two lettuce plantations at Rijk Zwaan’s demonstration site in Al-Yadoudeh.

• Participated in different events such as the Water Security for Sustainable Growth Conference; the Agricultural Congress; and USAID 60 years of cooperation with Jordanian water sector.

• The team is preparing a training session on hydroponics in the Netherlands in cooperation with WUR. Participants will represent Ministry of Agriculture, NCARE, private suppliers, farmers and the USAID/HGFI project.

7. Way forward

The upcoming period mostly will focus on the following:

• Promoting and spreading the hydroponics concept, mainly in universities and among students through training sessions and workshops.

• Focusing on new farms to establish and apply the hydroponic technology with willing partners. • Exchanging knowledge and experience between experts from the Netherlands and Jordan, an outcome

hoped for from the training course that will be held in Wageningen from January 25-29, 2016. • Working on introducing more sophisticated hydroponic greenhouse designs for farmers/investors who are

willing to invest in more complex systems that include heating and cooling facilities inside the greenhouses.

• Maximizing the efforts to train farmers, house hold members, and students.


Field Day at Al-Nimer Farm Demonstration Site October 7, 2015 No. Name Entity 1 Bassem Masarweh Private 2 Mai Durgham GIZ 3 Nuha Sweis Ammari Private 4 Fawzi Ammari Private 5 Mohammad Al-Qaisi IRADA 6 Saleh Al-Musbeheen IRADA 7 Ghaith Halasa IRADA 8 Hamzeh Habboub Rijk Zwaan 9 Eyas Huzayyen National Drip Irrigation Co. 10 Hammoudeh Ahmad Hammoudeh 11 Jameel Hirzallah Al-Nimer Farm 12 Othman Ahmad Abu Haltam Keena 13 Samir Odeh Samir Odeh 14 Tahseen Al-Asi Private 15 Wa'el Mehyar Private 16 Munqeth Mehyar Eco Peace 17 Hassan Al-Kiswani Private 18 Wa'el Al-Qawasmeh Private 19 Yasser Ismail Private 20 Maher Suleiman Dbeis Private 21 Khaled Obeidat Unifert Co. 22 Mahmoud Omar Naji Private 23 Huthaifa Oqab Jawad Private 24 Laith Habboub Ghassan Balbeileh Co. 25 Samir Ali 26 Hamada Ramadan 27 Riad Hassan


Agricultural Engineers Association Training Course November 11, 2015

No. Name 1 Sayel Awad Atawneh 2 Nadeem Mahmoud Rawashdeh 3 Midhat Awad Al-Atawneh 4 Sa'adeh Khaled Abu Sheikha 5 Sa'ed Waleed Ali 6 Mohammad Yousef Jaber 7 Firas Fayez Awad 8 Ahmad Mahmoud Allan 9 Eyyad Shukri Al-Bitar 10 Imad Al-Deen Izzat 11 Sa'ed Omar Dweikat 12 Raslan Hasan Shanableh 13 Wa'el Zuheir Abu Rmeileh 14 Mohammad Sa'eed Mar'i 15 Abdullateef Mahmoud Khaled 16 Ibrahim Khaleel Al-Harini 17 Dr. Mohammad Awad 18 Abdul Hakeem Mohammad Abi Arra 19 Obai Al-Aboudi


A Training Session at Bani-Kananeh/Um Ali:

Name Area

1 Hmoud Ahmad Hubras 2 Eid Obeidat Kufr Sum 3 Subhi Obeidat Kufr Sum 4 Eng. Salem Saleh Bani Kananeh 5 Eng. Nabil Obeidat Bani Kananeh 6 Baker Obeidat Al Dustour Newspaper 7 Ghassan Fandi Kharja 8 Sawsan Al-Zu’bi Kharja 9 Alia Saleem Kufr Sum

10 Lina Obeidat Hartha 11 Dr. Ja’afar Obeidat Kufr Sum 12 Mohammad Obeidat Hubras 13 Ibrahim Hazza’ Hubras 14 Fatma Mohammad Hubris 15 Yousef Hazza’ Hubras 16 Mohammad Hazza’ Hubras 17 Qutaiba Mohammad Obeidat Bani Kananeh 18 Khaled Abdullah Bani Kananeh 19 Hazar Daoud Bani kananeh 20 Maisa salman Bani Kananeh 21 Nasibah Al Khateeb Bani Kananeh 22 Nusaibah Khaled Bani Kananeh 23 Amani Obeidat Hubras 24 Jamilah Tawalbeh Sahem 25 Jad Allah Naji Hubris 26 Fathyeh Jamel Hubras 27 Mayyada Mohammad Hubras 28 Nawwaf Al Ali Hubras 29 Riad Abu Ghazal Kufr Sum 30 Mohammad Al Omari Hatem 31 Muna Deif Allah Hatem 32 Abdul Kareem Al Khateeb Aqraba 33 Rasmi Barahmeh Aqraba 34 Mohammad Mufleh Hartha

HYDROPONIC GREEN FARMING INITIATIVE PROGRAM

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