(MENAFN- Jordan Times) Irrigation water networks in the Jordan Valley will be gradually revamped with the help of a new water consumers' organisation, which will also introduce farmers to efficient marketing techniques, officials said on Monday.
The Jordan Valley Water Forum will serve as a platform for farmers and policy makers to address water-related challenges and achieve sustainable management of water resources in the area.
Launched by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation and the World Bank Institute on Monday, the forum will include representatives of the Jordan Valley Authority (JVA), the Ministry of Agriculture and water consumer associations in the Jordan Valley, according to acting JVA Secretary General Khairi Ammari.
"Farmers in the Jordan Valley deal with the water shortage firsthand, therefore, the forum seeks to take their point of view into consideration when drafting strategies to improve the allocation of irrigation water," Ammari said.
The forum will also contact donor organisations to raise funds for revamping irrigation water networks in the Jordan Valley and guide farmers on how to open new markets for their produce.
In 2009, the JVA started cooperating with farmers' societies in the Jordan Valley to regulate the distribution of irrigation water. Under agreements signed with several societies, the JVA distributes bulk water to the societies, which allocate irrigation water to farmers.
The ministry's collaboration with the societies aims at reducing water loss and curbing violations and theft of water in the Jordan Valley.
At the launch of the forum on Monday, Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohammad Najjar noted that during the next few decades Jordan will witness huge demand for water in the household, industrial and energy sectors.
"Demand for water will double during the coming years; it will reach 1.5 billion cubic metres by the year 2030," Najjar said in a statement released by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation.
He underscored that raising the efficiency of water use for irrigation complements the ministry's projects to preserve water resources and increase water supply.
Najjar highlighted that while the ministry seeks to raise efficiency of the irrigation water sector, it also aims at improving cost recovery per cubic metre and farmers' socio-economic conditions.
The Jordan Valley's total agricultural area consists of 250,000 dunums, 170,000 of which are planted with vegetables and the rest with bananas, grain and citrus fruits.
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