Infrastructure Development in the Middle Jordan Valley

Operation Mercy Jordan is studying a community request for help in the rehabilitation of the canal system which carries water from the Kafrein Dam to service approximately 10,000 dunum of land in the Middle Ghor.  The land is used by both large and smallholder farmers who regularly contribute to it's maintenance through monthly cleaning of trash and sediment from the canal.  This infrastructure is now 80 years old and significantly debilitated along a 60 to 70 meter section causing roughly 50% carriage losses along that very short section of the canal.  The concrete canal is 1.2 meters wide and only 40cm deep making it a small but vital piece of infrastructure for the southern Jordan Valley. 

 

A well functioning section of the Kafrein Canal - Note the unbroken concrete walls above the water line

 

A broken portion of the canal near the Kafrein Dam - Note the water flowing underneath the concrete

A section of the Kafrein Canal slab just beneath the diversion weir that has been broken up entirely - Note the complete absence of the concrete slab at the waterline contributing to major carriage losses

AC4D Funding Proposal 2014- 2015

Operation Mercy Jordan was pleased to submit its annual funding request to our partners at the SMC on May 1, 2014 for the 2014-2015 fiscal year.  We look forward to presenting our long term, 3 year, proposal this August. 

We want to thank all of the partners who contributed their time and expertise to make this proposal both well targeted and highly beneficial to it's recipients.
 

Demonstration Farm Priority Areas

AC4D is in the process of acquiring land and funding to found a sizable demonstration farm to model cutting edge methodology, technology and new species/varieties of crops to farmers.  Our initial plan is to demonstrate the use of;

Methodologies such as no-ploughing techniques like mulching and burming, chicken traps, the use of comfry and guar as complimentary crops to add potassium and nitrogen to soils and irrigation scheduling.

Technologies that we are showcasing will include the use of fertigation equipment and tensiometers to achieve a higher level of on-farm automation.

The cultivation of new and highly salt tolerant crops like asparagus and the introduction of salt tolerant varieties of avocado and tomato.

AC4D Farm Manager

Operation Mercy Jordan was recently able to secure the services of Mr. Case Sumner as a consultant farm manager for the upcoming season.  His contributions to the AC4D program will include advising the project from a technical perspective and advising our day to day operations to maximize the potential benefits of our demonstration farm for small-holders.  Mr. Sumner has extensive farming experience and ran a similar demonstration farm in Iraq before relocating to Jordan. 

Mr. Case Sumner enjoying a meal with JV farmers

Jordan Valley Farmers Union to Support AC4D Initiatives

AC4D representatives met with the Chairman of the Jordan Valley Farmers Association in order to discuss cooperation and implementation of AC4D training and demonstration activities for the 2014-2015 season.  Two highly productive large-scale farms were toured and AC4D reps were able to view a potential property for the demonstration farm.

AC4D, JV Farmers Union and GTZ representatives at a farm in the JV

Jordan Valley components to the AC4D program for 2014-2015

The two Jordan Valley components to the AC4D program for 2014-2015:

1)   Small scale trainings for JV Water User Associations

Training for groups of farmers focused on field observation. 

Training Topics include:

            Finance (Budgeting and Irrigation Order Preparation)

            Irrigation System Design

            Conflict Management

            Soil Health
            Improved Varieties

Operation Mercy will provide materials, refreshments, a light meal, speakers and demonstrations for the events. 

2)   The establishment of a demonstration farm in the Southern to Middle Ghor of the Jordan Valley

A farm of suitable size, roughly 3.5 hectares / 40 dunum / 1 unit, of land will be acquired for use as a demo-farm where farmers could be invited to receive hands-on training in cropping patterns, automated drip irrigation, emerging solar technologies, soil health, salt tolerant crop varieties and farm management. 

                        Needed startup items for the demonstration farm will include:   

                                                Land

                                                Annual Watersupply

Irrigation piping

Pumps

Installation of a reservoir

Seeds

Poly tunnels

A water filtration system

Labor

Electricity
Soil Amendments & Fertilizers

Permaculture in the Jordan Valley

AC4D program reps were privileged to receive a tour of the Jordan Valley Permaculture Project's farm and facilities.

To quote their website:
"The Jordan Valley Permaculture Project was established in March of 2008 to redevelop and revitalize arid lands in the Dead Sea Valley to establish a sustainable living environment that can fill the basic necessities of the underprivileged local community. The project demonstrates energy saving, sustainable living models that include:
- Waste water treatment done naturally with biological processes
- Diverse plant, tree and animal systems to sustain food production
- Composting (dry)
- Cooling systems (natural)
- A nursery for plants
- Rain water collection with earthwork
- Solar powered models for heating water and providing electricity."

The key practices that we took away from the ongoing work included
stepping the landscape to enhance infiltration of rain and irrigation water, multicropping to reduce nutrient leaching from soils and the extensive use of composting to build soil structure and reduce evaporation.  Below are pics of each of these key concepts as they are practiced at the site.

Courses in permaculture are being offered several times per year.   

Eggplant being grown alongside onion and carrots.  Note extensive use of mulch. 

A composting tub allows for careful control of temperature during decomposition

Land stepping allows for enhanced infiltration of both rainwater and irrigation water

Visiting farmers in the Jordan Valley

2014 AC4D Goals

This year AC4D is continuing to work for better harvests in the Jordan Valley through engagement in two broad-based programs.

     1)  Working with farmers groups and partner NGOs to provide hands on training in irrigation technology, soil management, crop selection to enhance harvests.

     2)  Working with farmers groups and partner NGOs to develop stronger linkages to markets, foreign and domestic, reduce waste and increase the efficiency of post harvest processing.

Newly planted Bananas in the JV

Operation Mercy hosts annual global project managers meeting in Orebro, Sweden

Project managers from 9 different countries in Central Asia and the Middle East met from May 10 to 18 to discuss the progress of Operation Mercy's programs worldwide.  Project reports emphasized the crosscutting themes of gender equality, long term sustainability, community empowerment, and wholistic transformation of both the community and the individual through stakeholder driven development initiatives.

The initiation of "self help groups" and how they can be used as vehicles for community wide transformation was an area of particular emphasis this year.  Read more about SHGs on Operation Mercy's website.        

Downtown Orebro