Palestine
Latest news related to Palestine
WaPOR at the CIHEAM summer school program on EO for irrigation
19/09/2022
.tmb-th600x400.jpg?Culture=en&sfvrsn=7d71c7f3_2 "July22_training_jordan (2)")
Introductory training for Jordanian and Palestinian stakeholders
08/07/2022
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About Palestine
The Occupied Palestinian Territory has a total area of 6 020 km2. The West Bank is a landlocked territory on the west bank of the Jordan River with a total area of 5 655 km2, surrounded by Jordan to the east and Israel to the south, west and north. Most of the Palestinian territories in the West Bank are still under full Israeli control (Area C). Despite the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Palestinian farmers have restricted access to land in buffer or border areas (40% of Gazan agricultural land).
The climate in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is predominantly of the Eastern Mediterranean type with cool and rainy winters, hot dry summers and an annual rainfall of 100-700 mm. Water resources include mainly groundwater and some surface water. 20% of Palestine's total land area is used for agriculture (90% of it located in the West Bank and 10% in the Gaza Strip). Rainfed agriculture accounts for 81%, while irrigated land accounts for 19% and is mainly located in the Gaza Strip and the Jordan Valley.
It is important to study both irrigation efficiency and water productivity. The efficiency of irrigation systems is good, ranging from 75 - 90% for drip irrigation and 65 - 75% for sprinkler irrigation. Most losses occur in the water transport systems. There are no actual estimates for water productivity (biophysical or economic) except for isolated statistics.
Project milestones:
August 2022: Palestine becomes a partner of WaPOR
December 2022: project inception workshop
2023: field data collection to take place
Pilot areas
Jericho is an intensively cultivated and irrigated area in the West Bank. Cultivation patterns are diverse, ranging from irrigated trees to date palms, bananas and various open and protected vegetables. Furthermore, farmers in Jericho are organised in various socio-economic organisations: agricultural cooperatives, water user associations, the private sector is represented by date palm companies, large farmers and many small farmers. The main water resources are groundwater, obtained through groundwater wells and springs. Due to the expansion of agricultural activities, other non-conventional water resources are also used, such as treated wastewater and, to a lesser extent, rainwater collected in ponds on the sides of the wadi.
WaPOR partnerships in Palestine
In Palestine, the WaPOR 2 project is implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Palestinian Water Authority, the Palestinian Meteorological Department and the Environmental Quality Authority. It also includes academic institutions and works with civil society, which gathers the main stakeholders interested in water issues.
