Ali, a 63-year old farmer from Nabatiyeh, has been cultivating his land for more than 40 years. He has never lost his determination, even in 1983 when he stepped on a landmine in his field and became permanently disabled.

Agriculture is the only source of income for Ali and he dedicates every day to his fields. He cultivates rain fed crops in winter and irrigated crops in summer. For the summer crops, Ali used to use gravity, an old and ineffective irrigation method, until he heard from other farmers about FAO's project "Development of Water Management in the Caza of Marjeyoun".
Following a socio-economic survey with a defined set of criteria, Ali was deemed eligible and was selected as a beneficiary for the project. As a result, he received drip irrigation equipment for a pilot area of seven dunums.

"With the introduction of the drip irrigation system, I have better control over weeds. I save up to 50% on water use in comparison with the gravity method, and I have less labour and fuel costs. So I save water and make more profit", Ali explains. "I have now stopped using gravity irrigation and I have decided to install sprinkler irrigation equipment to the irrigated area" he added. "I have also been trained on the use of fertilizers through the provided drip irrigation equipment". Ali concluded: "I am grateful for this support, technical assistance and services provided by FAO, which has helped me improve my business performance and I will become an active member of the Dardara Cooperative as I am paying the irrigation fees".

The project is implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the AVSI Foundation with support of the Government of Italy. The main objective is to increase the capacity of the Dardara Cooperative, along with building capacity of farmers to improve their living conditions by adopting better agricultural practices and modern irrigation technologies.

Project: Development of Water Management in the Caza of Marjeyoun.
Date: May, 2016.