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MEDWA
Stakeholder Participatory Sustainable Water Management at Farm
Level
Cooperation with Jordan and Palestine
website
Starting date: 18 March 2004, Duration: 3 years
The irrigation system in Jordan and Palestine is strongly impaired due to a lack of socio-economic, cultural and technological means. Some of the greatest problems are: the inefficient and ineffective water management of national water resources, outdated and partly leaking water networks, bad water quality, inefficient irrigation networks, limited quantities of water per household and a lack of general awareness regarding the optimal use of limited water resources.
Apart from the well-coordinated technical improvement of water quality
and irrigation management, it is vital to create a fundamental and
systematic improvement of relations between the individual interest
groups at municipal and local level in Jordan and Palestine.
Because of the conflicting interests of irrigation suppliers and farmers, external intervention is necessary in order to adjust these relations and introduce an institutionalised communication process.
Another problem in current relations between interest groups is the condition of women in agriculture. Although women carry out most of the agricultural work, they are not included in decisions and educational facilities. This is partly due to traditional roles and the lack of technical training. Local NGOs have set up initiatives that aim to support and give value to the women, but it is not part of national policy or in any way seen as a priority.
Objectives
The MEDWA project connects two approaches – one socio-economic and the other technical – for the solution of the multilayered problems of water management in Jordan. The aim is the complete and sustainable improvement of the regional development.
The project starts with the definition and systematic inclusion of
local/regional and national interest groups. It then seeks to
establish a know-how and technology base for further implementation
in technical and non-technical training, as well as to demonstrate
and pilot activities and equipment (irrigation networks, collective
wastewater treatment, construction of common and individual reservoirs and
cisterns, rehabilitation of production wells, etc.).
Through access to relevant national and international know-how, the
knowledge base of interest groups and final consumers is extended by means
of professional training in 8 different sections of sustainable water
resource management. This basis of knowledge and awareness is at the
heart of the project's activities.
Examples of efficient water supply management activities:
- pilot projects for the salvage of sewage
- irrigation networks
- demonstration of non-conventional irrigation technologies
- enlargement of capacities of reservoirs, cisterns and wells
- rehabilitation of wells and distributing systems
- establishment of back gardens, as a way to implicate final consumers
- demonstration of biological agriculture
- demonstration of waste water use methods in households.
In parallel, organisational structures are created (associations, cooperations, forums) with institutionalised strategic interfaces. These structures shall not only act as committees for the exchange of opinions, experiences or tested training models on a micro-economic level, but will also strengthen the capacities of interest groups and municipalities. Women should play a decisive role in these organisations.
The marriage of technical “hardware” and socio-economic “software” is a direct solution to the complexity of the problem and aims at sustainable improvement of regional development.
Contacts
| Partners | Countries | Contacts | Contact Adresses |
| HWA – Hilfswerk Austria (Consortium Leader) | AU | Heidi
Burkhart Director of Programs |
Ebendorferstrasse 6 1010 Vienna Tel. +431 40 57 500-30 Fax +431 40 57 500-60 Mobile +43676 8787 60100 |
| FPSC – Fundación Promoción Social de la Cultura | ES | Belén García Masó | MEDA desk office Madrid C/ Huertas, 71 -5º decha 28014 Madrid Tel: +34 91 344 01 76 Fax: +34 91 344 03 66 |
| JRF – Jordan River Foundation | JO | Maha Khatib Director General |
P.O.Box 2943 Amman 11181, Jordan Tel: +962-6-5933211 Fax: +962-65933210 |
| JOHUD – The Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development | JO | Farah Daghistani Executive Director |
P.O.Box 5118 Amman 11183, Jordan Tel: +962-6-5825241 Fax: +962-6-5827350 |
| PARC – Palestinian Agriculture Committee | PS | Ismail Daiq Director General |
P.O.Box 25128 Shu’fat – Jerusalem, Via Israel Tel: +970-2269-3840 Fax: +970-2269-3850 |
Hanan Salah
Project Coordinator
Hilfswerk Austria
Amman, Jordan
Mob. +962-79-5406365
Off. +962-6-5523576
