Annual Consultation MeetingIFAD/ICARDA

Project: Improved Water Management for Sustainable Mountain Agriculture: Jordan, Lebanon and Morocco

Mohammed Karrou, IWLMP-ICARDA

Amman, October 21-22, 2014

Goal and Purpose

Goal: to promote sustainable agricultural production practices, higher incomes and improved livelihoods for rural communities in mountain agro-ecosystems through better management of the scarce water resources.

Purpose: to introduce and promote adoption of optimal and integrated water, land and crop management techniques for sustainable increases in agricultural productivity and profitability as well as for ceasing land degradation in mountainous areas

• Component 1: Development and validation of mountain water harvesting assessment model and design guidelines.

• Component 2: Improved water management for sustainable mountain agriculture

• Component 3: Assessing institutional and policy frameworks in mountainous areas

• Component 4: Capacity building in improved water management for mountain agriculture

Components of the project

Our partners in Jordan:NCARE, ARMP; MOA, University in Al Karak

Location of the Erak site (basin)

Our partners in Lebanon:LARI, GP, HSAD project ,MOA

Location of Merj Hine site

Our partners in Morocco:INRA, PDRMO project, DRA of Fes Boulmane, DPA of Boulmane

Location of Talzemt site

Project Budget, up to September 2014

Cost Category Budget 2011Expenses

2012Expenses

2013Expenses

2014Expenses

Total Expenses

Remaining Balance

Personnel 200,000 56,595 42,906 76,784 13,558 189,842 10,158

Operations 310,000 43,341 101,315 125,544 29,638 299,838 10,162

Equipment 130,000 - 17,556 23,082 55,704 96,342 33,658

Meeting & Workshops 80,000 23,096 8,631 - 24,502 56,229 23,771

Training & Dissemination 130,000 - 29,218 13,430 60,804 103,452 26,548

Indirect Costs 150,000 33,091 35,228 42,147 24,828 135,294 14,706

Total 1,000,000 156,123 234,854 280,986 209,034 880,997 119,003

Project Budget, up to September 2014

Cost Category Budget Jordan Morocco Lebanon Regional Total Remaining Balance

Personnel 200,000 - 28,836 7,167 153,839 189,842 10,158

Operations 310,000 99,742 64,022 117,205 18,869 299,838 10,162

Equipment 130,000 21,963 58,195 16,184 - 96,342 33,658

Meeting & Workshops 80,000 2,030 5,660 8,825 39,714 56,229 23,771

Training & Dissemination 130,000 32,065 14,316 6,022 51,048 103,452 26,548

Indirect Costs 150,000 10,291 9,262 10,457 105,284 135,294 14,706

Total 1,000,000 166,091 180,293 165,860 368,755 880,997 119,003

Sites characterized and land suitability maps developed;

The existing water sources (springs, earth ponds) and WH systems analyzed and options of their rehabilitation described;

• Semicircular bunds (Olive); Vallerani machine(Pastoral plants); Gabion, Check dams implemented and demonstrated to the farmers in Jordan;

• Semi-circular SC/WH structures with almond planting demonstrated and implemented by farmers in Morocco;

• Farmer’s trained on how to enlarge and improve small farmers’ water reservoirs for irrigation purpose in Lebanon;

Component 1: Development and validation of mountain water harvesting assessment model and design guidelines.

Irrigation management: •On-farm trials conducted on deficit irrigation with drip system of different crops : saving of 20 to 25 % of irrigation water in open field and plastic greenhouse without negative effect on yields.

Crop management:•Improved crop management packages demonstrated to farmers on fruit trees and vegetables in their fields (planting density, pruning and fruiting, Irrigation scheduling, fertilization, IPM).

Component 2: Improved water management for sustainable mountain agriculture

Diversification of cropping systems:•Borlotti beans, Broccoli, Cucumber, several Brussels’ small cabbage, blackcurrants, apple in Lebanon;

•Apple varieties and Almond in Morocco;

•Vegetable crops; atriplex, barley, Crocus corms in Jordan.

Component 2: Improved water management for sustainable mountain agriculture

•Existing policies described and analyzed: Strengths and weaknesses identified;

•The relevance, effectiveness and farmers access to the existing financial policy incentives in terms of cost sharing and subsidies as well as legislative and capacity development measures being applied in support of land and water use efficiency for sustainable mountain agriculture have been assessed;

•The performance of the institutions involved in the implementation of the above policies have been assessed

Component 3: Assessing institutional and policy frameworks in mountainous areas

• Technicians and engineers from the IFAD development project involved in the design and implementation of the work plan;

• The project stimulated and enhanced the synergy between the different actors involved in the management of water and land in the Mountainous areas

• The On-farm trials of the project are used as platforms/field schools for IFAD development project engineers/technicians and farmers;

• On-the-job training organized for farmers and extension engineers/technicians on improved irrigation management, WH/SWC systems and crop management;

• 727 dunum implemented with Vallerani machine in 25 farmer’s fields ; 1,000 atriplex (Jordan);

• 14 ha (40 farmers)of almond trees planted by IFAD development project (Morocco)

How the project is linked to/helped IFAD development projects in targeted countries?

Training course on: Identification of Suitable Sites for Hill Lakes Using Google Earth

Hill lakes functions and criteria for site selection

Introduction to the use of Google Earth and its features

Integrating information layers such as land use/land cover, water resources, soil, geology, population and others to Google earth using different data sources on global, regional and national level.

Training Activities for GP engineers:

Exercises on suitable sites selection, using various data sources, with Google Earth (PCs)

Training Activities:

Site visits and investigations

Training Activities:

Site analysis and conclusions

Training Activities:

In the last year of this phase (2014) the emphasis has been made on the dissemination of the technologies and information:

•Doubling of the number of the on-farm demonstration trials;

•Field days;

•Training of the farmers and extension engineers and technicians;

•Development of technical guides, pamphlets, leaflets;

•Preparation of reports and publications.

What is the emphasis in 2014

• Despite the effort made in developing improved technologies and in linking the project activities with IFAD development programs in the participating countries;

• it is obvious that there is still a need for further fine-tuning and out-

scaling the developed TIPOs of natural resources management;

• The project needs more time to fully utilize its outputs and maximize its impacts that cannot be achieved in a short term in this kind of research (natural resources and perennial crops);

• As the project aims at saving and better use of three main sources of water in WANA region, the future work should aim at the development, for each case, of models of sustainable and integrated water use at up and downstream levels and out-scaling them in similar mountainous areas;

• In addition to the technical aspects, the model should integrate the policy, institutional and market issues.

What is next?

Thank you