Under the agreement “Improving the management of water resources in agriculture to ensure food security in the Palestinian Territories and Jordan,” the FPSC team, along with PARC staff and the head of Agriculture Programs of the OTC Jerusalem participated in a field visit to identify and track the different activities being developed under the agreement, which is scheduled for June 2014.
The team visited the town of Beit Suriq, north of Jerusalem and close to the separation wall, to rehabilitate a spring that now pours its water into the field, and is lost in its entirety. The team met with the mayor of the area and several farmers, direct beneficiaries of this action. During the meeting the farmers expressed their concerns and thanked the Government of Spain and FPSC for the assistance provided to using water resources for agricultural use. Overall, in the Palestinian Territories, along the duration of the agreement 5 springs will be rehabilitated, that currently suffer the effects of pollution (one of the main environmental problems of the region).
The group then moved to the town of Bir Zait (near Ramallah) to closely inspect a home garden where they used organic farming techniques learned from the Convention. This garden gives the family food stability, to have sustained access to sufficient quantity and quality.
Finally, we visited a farm of greenhouses where a cement tank was built, of 100m3 in the town of Tulkarem. This tank is connected to the roof of the greenhouse and collecting rain water in winter. Inside the greenhouses four tensiometers have been installed, which measure the moisture level in the field, providing a clear and concise information to farmers about how much water to use. The project staff has been in charge of teaching the operation of these devices.