Sustainable management of natural water resources to prevent vegetation deterioration in Abassan village in Gaza.

Capacity - Building Component:

Developing the skills of 20 farmers on techniques and methods of sustainable management of water resources to maintain agricultural biodiversity of the targeted areas. Specifically, the training will focus on; the use and maintenance of the pools, water resource management and watering the new plants.

- Environmental benefit:

10 farmers’ families of 80 residents’ better accessed harvested water for planting agricultural crops that degraded due to water salinity and scarcity. 800 m³ of good quality of water became available for framers’ use during the summer time. That would allow for significant increase in the ground water reservoirs as a result of less extraction of the ground water. The pools would remain efficient for at least fifteen years if an ongoing maintenance is applied.

- Income generation: 180 productive palm trees were restored in the area and that would allow farmers to increase their income once the trees become productive.
- Capacity building: 40 poor framers were more acquainted with the proper cultivation techniques for palm trees. Also, farmers got more experienced in managing the harvested water and overcome the sacristy of water resources in the area.
- Replication: In 2005, the same technique is replicated in other agricultural community in the north of Gaza.