Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c4f8m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T07:51:11.876Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Farmers' verification of improved land-use alternatives in the transitional Badia of Jordan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2007

Feras M. Ziadat ,
Butros I. Hattar  and
Akram S. Baqain
Feras M. Ziadat*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
Butros I. Hattar
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
Akram S. Baqain
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
*
*Corresponding author: fziadat@ju.edu.jo
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Decisions on land-use sustainability are particularly critical in fragile semi-arid regions of the world, especially those involving the social factor: people and communities. Typical of such an area is the Middle East region, especially Jordan which is beset by climatic constraints. New land-use alternatives were introduced by the Jordan Arid Zone Productivity Project (JAZPP) to improve land productivity in the arid to semi-arid (transitional Badia) land in Jordan. These alternatives were verified within experimental stations under controlled conditions. Dissemination of these findings would be successful if they suit the needs and resources of farmers. Therefore, verification of the success of these techniques under a wide range of biophysical and socio-economic conditions was necessary to judge their suitability to the target area. Various interventions were implemented on 14 sites that represent different biophysical and socio-economic conditions over the study area. With close monitoring and follow-up, successful and encouraging results were reported during the first season, even with lower rainfall than average, suggesting that these techniques were biophysically suitable for the target area. During the second season, maintenance and guarding were assigned to the farmers. Seven out of the 14 sites failed for various reasons: multiownership regime, reluctance of farmers to adopt new land use and insufficient protection and/or guarding measures. The study highlighted the importance of the farmers' comments and discussion of their specific problems and needs. This helped to improve these interventions to suit the farmers' requirements and may be important in facilitating widespread adoption and sustainability of these new land-use alternatives in the Jordanian Badia as well as in other areas of similar environment.

Keywords

arid to semi-arid regionsland and water managementwater harvestingparticipatory approachland ownership
Type
Research Article
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 21 , Issue 4 , December 2006 , pp. 207 - 215
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 Deichmann, U. and Eklundh, L. 1991. Global digital data sets for land degradation studies: a GIS approach. GRID Case Study Series No. 4. UNEP/GEMS and GRID, Nairobi, Kenya.Google Scholar
2 Hatten, C.J. and Taimeh, A.Y. 2001. Improvement of agricultural productivity in arid and semi-arid zones of Jordan. In Taimeh, A.Y. and Hattar, B.I. (eds). A cooperative Project Between Ministry of Agriculture and the European Union. Vol. 1, Main Report. University of Jordan Press, Amman, Jordan.Google Scholar
3 Higher Council for Science and Technology. 1994. Jordan Badia Research and Development Program, Stage One: Safawi; A Prospectus.Google Scholar
4 Taimeh, A.Y. and Katkhuda, N. 1997. Dryland farming systems in Jordan. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 12(3):100–104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5 Taimeh, A.Y. 1989. Soils of Muwaqar. University of Jordan Press, Amman, Jordan. p. 70.Google Scholar
6 Mugwe, J., O'Neill, M., Gachaja, S., Muriuki, J., and Mwangi, J. 2001. Participatory evaluation of water harvesting techniques for establishing improved Mango varieties in smallholder farms of Mbeere district, Kenya. In Stott, D.E., Mohtar, R.H., and Steinhardt, G.C. (eds). Sustaining the Global Farm. Selected Papers from the 10th International Soil Conservation Organization Meeting, May 24–29, 1999. Purdue University and the USDA-ARS National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory. p. 1152–1157.Google Scholar
7 Ministry of Agriculture, Jordan. 2000. Participatory watershed management in the Wadi Rajib catchment. A report on the approach, project experiences and prospects for the future. Main Report, Ministry of Agriculture, Amman.Google Scholar
8 Bouma, J. 1997. The land use systems approach to planning sustainable land management at several scales. ITC Journal 3(4):237–242.Google Scholar
9 Veldkamp, A. and Fresco, L.O. 1997. Exploring land use scenarios, an alternative approach based on actual land use. Agricultural Systems 55(1):1–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10 United Nations, Economic and Social Council. 2000. Integrated planning and management of land resources. Commission on sustainable development, 8th session, 24 April–5 May. Addendum, Combating Desertification and Drought.Google Scholar
11 Wuest, S.B., McCool, D.K., Miller, B.C., and Veseth, R.J. 1999. Development of more effective conservation farming systems through participatory on-farm research. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 14(3):98–102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12 Ministry of Agriculture, Jordan. 1995. The soils of Jordan. Report of the National Soil Map and Land Use Project, undertaken by Ministry of Agriculture, Huntings Technical Services Ltd., and European Commission. Level One, Level Two, Level Three and JOSCIS Manual, Ministry of Agriculture, Amman.Google Scholar
13 Critchley, W. and Siegert, K. 1991. A Manual for the Design and Construction of Water Harvesting Schemes for Plant Production. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy.Google Scholar
14 Anschutz, J., Kome, A., Nederhof, M., De Neef, R., and Van De Ven, T. 1997. Water Harvesting and Soil Moisture Retention. Agrodoc Publication No. 13. The Agromisa Foundation, Wageningen, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
15 Upadhyay, B.M., Young, D.L., Wang, H.H., and Wandschneider, P. 2003. How do farmers who adopt multiple conservation practices differ from their neighbors? American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 18(1):27–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16 Ziadat, F.M. 1995. Effect of management practices on soil losses in the arid to semi-arid area of Jordan. Unpublished MSc thesis, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.Google Scholar
17 Forté-Gardner, O., Young, F.L., Dillman, D.A., and Carroll, M.S. 2004. Increasing the effectiveness of technology transfer for conservation cropping systems through research and field design. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 19(4):199–209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar