VALLERANI MICRO WATER HARVESTING

Badia Region, Jordan
ICARDA

The Badia Region covers more than 80% of Jordan, and receives less than 8 inches of rain per year, a number that has been decreasing due to climate change. Livestock herding, as well as deep ploughing and barley planting, have caused severe land degradation and the depletion of rangeland resources, including grasses. The diversity of plants throughout the Badia Region has declined, and introduced species have a low nutritional value. The soils across the region are crusted, resulting in a low water infiltration rate, sheet runoff, and erosion and gullying that can result in downstream flooding in Jordan’s capital, Amman. To restore the desertified Badia, a microharvesting rainwater plan was developed using the Vallerani microharvesting technique. The technique uses the Vallerani plough, in which a tractor digs small water harvesting pits on the contours of hillside slopes, creating water rention and infilgration of surface runoff. These microcatchments are planted with native shrub seedlings that are drought and salt tolerant, which serve as fodder for livestock. The system catches an addition 12 inches of water yearly, which allows for the production of crops at a small-scale, as well as livestock production that supports local needs at a relatively low cost of $32-116 per hectare. The micro-harvesting technique has been used across the world in Burkina Faso, Chad, China, Egypt, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Syria, Sudan and Tunisia, as well as in Jordan. The implementation of Vallerani projects focuses on capacity building local stakeholders and farmers who can maintain the results of the mechanized system by caring for plants and developing local markets.

1996 - ongoing
494210 acres
3000 feet above sea level

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