On-the-job training series in Jordan: Using WaPOR data for irrigation performance assessment
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) held an on-the-job training in Amman, Jordan, on 12-13 June. The session is part of a training series on using WaPOR data for irrigation performance assessment in the Northern Jordan Valley.
Ten technical staff from the Jordan Valley Authority, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, and the Ministry of Agriculture took part. Three new staff from the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, the Inter-Islamic Network on Water Resources Development and Management (INWRDAM), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) also attended the training to discuss using WaPOR data in their water projects.
The first part of the training explained the database, including the WaPOR concept, WaPOR platform, and the irrigation performance assessment approach. The second part focused on calculating key irrigation performance indicators that will be used within the irrigation performance assessment tool, such as the consumed fraction, equity, adequacy, and water deficit.
The participants did several exercises, including downloading and processing WaPOR data, analyzing water consumption and rainfall across different years and scales, such as farm level, demand area, and scheme scale. They also created irrigation performance indicators and talked about how to use them to make irrigation water management decisions in the Northern Jordan Valley.
During the training, participants used tailored online assignments and records to help them use these resources on their own. At the end, participants did assignments at home to get a certification in irrigation performance assessment from IWMI, FAO, and the IHE-Delft Institute for Water Education.