Project code: OSRO/GAZ/403/NET
Donor: Netherlands
Contribution: USD 2 463 878
Implementation: 01/06/14 – 31/12/16
Target areas: Jenin, Nablus, Tubas and Jericho governorates in Area C of the West Bank
Objective: To improve the food security and livelihoods of vulnerable female and male farmers in Area C of the West Bank through improved water availability and management for agricultural purposes.
Key partners: Ministry of Agriculture, Palestinian Water Authority and Palestinian Hydrology Group.
Beneficiaries reached: 820 farmers (791 male and 29 female).
Activities implemented:
Rehabilitated 12 groundwater wellsthrough the installation of pumps and riser pipes.
Distributed pipes, fittings and connection accessories for the rehabilitation/replacement of 82.4 km of water conveyance systems.
Distributed replacement parts for irrigation networks (i.e. high density polyethylene pipes and lateral pipes) and iron chelates foliar, and drip, organic and inorganic fertilizer to 820 households.
Conducted 32 in-field training sessions, 30 focus groups and two workshops for 400 farmers, covering on-farm water management, irrigation techniques, repair of lateral irrigation networks and fertigation.
Developed and facilitated the adoption of water supply schemes at each of the 23 targeted sites.
Supported the creation of 12 irrigation water supply management committees.
Results:
Improved water availability while helping farmers to optimize the use of this water for irrigation.
Increased beneficiaries’ awareness of water scarcity issues and better equipped them to improve efficiency in the use of water resources.
Made available an additional 631 000 m3 /year of water: replaced/rehabilitated pipes reduced water leaks, restoring its pumping volume to an estimated 88 percent of its licenced quota (1 149 000 m3 /year) with an average pumping rate of 70 m3 /hour.
Enabled beneficiaries to irrigate 2 950 dunums of land by optimizing the use of the 1 015 000 m3now available across allsites. Thisis projected to yield an additional 8 519 tonnes of fruit trees and vegetables – enough to generate a net profit of USD 3.87 million perseason.
Enabled the creation of a sustainable mechanism for reducing and preventing the escalation of community tensionsrelated to water usage through the establishment ofsix water user and operator committee, out of the 12 water management committees.