ICARDA Research Mandate: Mandate in Dry Areas of the World
Improvement of on-farm water-use efficiency
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Micro-catchments for water harvesting. |
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Improvement of on-farm water-use efficiency. Sprinkler irrigation on legume crop. |
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Storage lakes may be used to hold water collected from surrounding slopes using waterharvesting schemes designed using the latest satellite mapping technology. |
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A water harvesting technique in use for many hundreds of years but updated versions of the jessour can still play a valuable role in making efficient use of scarce rainfall in the dry areas. |
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The unplanted strips in the field provide a catchment area for water which nurtures the crop plants alongside to give better results than from planting the whole field with crop. |
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Qanat renovation plan. Direct involvement of villagers in the renovation project is essential to making it and the system of water allocation work. Here, villagers work on a sketch plan of the qanat to be renovated. |
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Water qanat. A village elder opens up the birkeh, or reservoir, from which certain households in Shallalah Saghirah are allowed to draw irrigation water for a set period each day. |
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By getting extra water to his crops at critical growth stages before they start to suffer from drought stress, this farmer can increase his overall yields. Supplemental irrigation allows farmers to make the most efficient use of scarce water by two-thirds of the full irrigation requirement at the best timings. |
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The salt content of water pumped for irrigation is measured by ICARDA scientists who are monitoring salt intrusion in the Khanasser Valley. |
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Blending allows saline waters to be used productively in agriculture without harming sensitive crops. |
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Forage crops in Kazakstan thrive after treated wastewater is applied. |
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Many farmers mistakenly apply too much irrigation water which is lost to evaporation or drains away without benefit to the crop. |
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Dr Thieb Oweis explained a point to ICARDA fourth EPMR member at the water harvesting demonstration plot at Tel hadya |
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Matrouh Resource Management Project: Cisterns are an ancient technology being put to good use by the Matrouh Resource Management Project. A large tank of mortar and stone stores rainwater caught in natural and man-made channels. |
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Matrouh Resource Management Project: Simple structures, such as this stone dyke, help farmers retain precious rainwater to maintain their plantations of fruit trees and fodder plants, such as the spineless cactus, foreground. |
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Matrouh Resource Management Project: Structures, such as the reservoir above, can help communities in dry areas make the most of the little rain they receive. Without reservoirs, and the other water conserving technologies promoted by the Project, the erratic annual rainfall would simply flow away. |
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Matrouh Resource Management Project: Rainwater is the primary water source in the Matrouh project area. Runoff not captured is lost to the sea. |
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Matrouh Resource Management Project: Project staff inspect a site installed with water measurement devices. |
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Matrouh Resource Management Project: Hajji Idries (in headgear) and a project scientist monitor volume and quality of cistern water. |
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Yemen: Children bathe and play in a mountain, water, reservoir. |
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Syria: Women in Serdah plant an olive tree beside clay pots that will seep water to sustain the plant through the hot, dry summer. |
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Syria: Farmers learn about the benefits of pitcher irrigation, cisterns, and water harvesting in Khanasser Valley. |
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Elegant water exploitation: the famous water-wheels, or
nourias, of the city of |
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Shared water resources: the |
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Water-harvesting experiment at ICARDA headquarters. |
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JIRCAS used geographical information systems (GIS) to spotlight areas at risk of degradation. ICARDA is now using similar tools to identify suitable sites for water harvesting |
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Taking water from the cistern, the old way. |
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Soil salinization: Use of excess water, exacerbated by reuse, will increase salinity and decrease productivity over time. |
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Water issues. Part of the complex irrigation system in Nile Delta. There are plans to increase the amount of precious irrigation water that is reused from 4 to 7 billion BCM. |
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Wheat field irrigation. |
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