FAO holds final workshop for Palestine water project with Agriculture Ministry, Water Authority

31 Aug 2022, Jerusalem — The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on 31 August held a closing workshop under the Palestine component of the regional project “Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Water Efficiency/Productivity and Water Sustainability in Near East and North Africa Countries,” funded by Sweden.

The workshop took place at the City Inn Palace Hotel, and was attended by H.E. Ministry of Agriculture Riyad Attari and H.E. Palestinian Water Authority Chairperson Minister Maher Ghuneim, as well as representatives from FAO’s Regional Office for NENA and the Organization’s Coordination Office for the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

“Agriculture can produce more crop per drop if we effectively combine the right know-how, good agricultural practices and smart water management based on robust water accounting and productivity systems, while engaging farmers in continuous learning process,” said Ms Ibtisam Abuhaija of the Ministry of Agriculture, the national project focal point.

Since 2018, FAO has supported eight NENA countries to strategically manage and allocate water resources by promoting the integration of water, food security and energy policies. In Palestine, activities focused on assessing current water use patterns, projected needs and opportunities for improving sustainable practices in order to inform future policy and decision making. Notably, FAO also carried out a comprehensive assessment of Palestinian women’s role in agriculture and irrigation, highlighting the importance of including women in development planning.

When possible, the project emphasized training and practical coaching for West Bank farmers, carrying out more than a dozen farmer field schools and farmer business schools to promote good agricultural practices and the effective utilization of affordable technologies.

“The FAO farmer field schools demonstrated that continuous flow of knowledge and exchange of expertise among farmers  proved effective in increasing  water use efficiency and reducing  input costs while increasing production,” said Mr. Azzam Ayasa, the Organization’s Head of Programme for the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The closing workshop brought together government representatives with other key local players to review the five-year project’s findings and results, agree on an action plan for institutionalizing sustainable water practices and initiate collaboration among attendees to realize the action plan.

The project is promoting UN Sustainable Development Goal 6.4, the 2030 Agenda for Water Efficiency Productivity, by helping set the basis for a robust, sustainable water and agriculture production system in Palestine that accounts for political, socioeconomic and cultural complexities.