Sustainable intensification of strawberry production in the West Bank and Gaza Strip using computerized control system (WBGS)
Greetings from Jerusalem and many thanks for keeping us in the loop. It is definitely a great opportunity to participate in the e-Agriculture platform on this important topic.
A short answer to question No 2, comments are welcome:
Sustainable intensification of strawberry production in the West Bank and Gaza Strip using computerized control system (WBGS)
In the WBGS, farmers are achieving a threefold increase in yields with only 70 percent of the water use compared to traditional greenhouse production by growing hanging strawberries. The strawberries are grown in soil-less media using a computerized system controlling the quantity and frequency of irrigation and application of fertilizers.
FAO has facilitated knowledge transfer between farmers in the West Bank already applying this technique, and Gazan farmers. As a result, small-scale farmers in the Gaza Strip have now established 10 dunums of hanging strawberry production. A comparison of production data for strawberries grown in open fields, traditional greenhouses and hanging:
| Strawberry Production | Open Field | Traditional Greenhouse | Hanging Strawberries |
| #seedlings/dunum | 8,000 | 8,000 | 18,000 |
| Production (tons/dunum) | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| Water use (m3/dunum) | 900 | 1,000 | 700 |
| Season | Mid-Sept-Mid April (yield after 60 days) | 1 Sep -1May (yield after 65 days) | Mid-Sep -1 June (yield after 50 days) |
Below is a picture of the Strawberry Production
Dr. Azzama Saleh │ Head of Programme
Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) │ West Bank and Gaza Strip
Mount of Olives St. 26, Sheikh Jarrah │ P.O. Box 22246, Jerusalem 91513
Mobile: +972 (0)54 802 6712 │ Tel: +972 (0)2 5339 402│ Fax: +972 (0)2 540 0027
Email: [email protected] │ Skype: azzam271 │ Website : www.fao.org
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