The Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) in collaboration with the EU funded ’Water and Environment Support in the ENI Southern Neighbourhood region» (WES) project have organised 2 Trainings of Trainers (ToT) with pilot farmers’ associations and relevant communities on optimal irrigation management and practices.
The training was implemented within the framework of one of the ongoing WES activities in Palestine that aims to improve the productivity and the efficiency of the irrigation water at the plot level (on-farm) and at the scheme level (off-farm) in two pilot Water Users Associations (WUAs); one using fresh water and another using treated wastewater.
The first ToT “Management and analysis of the performance of collective irrigation networks, water allocation and distribution and its impact on productivity”, took place on 26-29 September 2022, in Jordan.
The second ToT “On-farm irrigation management, and on-farm irrigation systems”, was organized on 2-6 October 2022, again in Jordan.
Both ToTs were combined with Field Visits to enhance the learning and expose the participants to success stories in the management of irrigation systems at the scheme and on-farm levels under water scarce conditions.
The training prepared the technical personnel active in the field to extend guidance and advice to other WUAs and to strengthen their capacity in terms of management of plots and collective irrigation networks and its impact on productivity, and on-farm management aspects related to the use of treated wastewater.
Key stakeholders, related to irrigation management, were introduced to the concepts of planning, designing, and operating collective pressurized irrigation distribution systems but also to the different technologies used for controlling irrigation on the plot including the use of smart irrigation.
They learned about the COPAM software that allows for an optimal design and analysis of collective pressurized irrigation systems, as well as the AQUACROP software (https://www.fao.org/aquacrop/en/), developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), that allows water to be managed efficiently in irrigation, estimate yields and develop irrigation schedules at the plot level etc.
