EcoFuture and the WEFE Nexus

The Jordan Valley (JV) is a critical region where the interplay of water, energy, food, and ecosystem dynamics presents both challenges and opportunities for sustainable development and climate change mitigation and adaptation. The valley’s unique geographical and climatic conditions have historically made it a focal point for agriculture, requiring intensive water management strategies to overcome its arid climate. Water scarcity in this region is acute, with surface and groundwater resources under increasing pressure from over-extraction and pollution, directly impacting agricultural productivity and food security. Energy is another critical component, heavily intertwined with water through the energy-intensive processes of water pumping, treatment, and distribution, as well as in agricultural operations and food processing. The food sector in the JV is highly dependent on the sustainable management of water and energy resources, with agriculture accounting for a significant portion of employment and food supply in the three territories yet facing the challenges of limited water availability and the need for energy-efficient technologies.

In the EcoFuture Project, we have made an attempt to map the WEFE resources of the JV. It has been a tedious effort that was made more difficult due to the war in Gaza and the availability of the appropriate governmental institutions to provide the necessary data that provide a clear picture of the current WEFE resources supply and demand as well as future projections. Based on the WEFE Nexus mapping conducted for the JV, the following issues have been identified as of the highest priority to address:

• Water deficit – The agricultural water uses account for 91% of the total water supply where 16% is used for aquaculture and 75% for irrigation. The irrigation rates range from 385 mm/dunum for Israel to 677 mm/dunum for Jordan and 360 mm/dunum for Palestine. The differences in irrigation rates are due to water losses/leakages in the network that is estimated to be about 30% for Jordan and 50% for Palestine. If we account for water losses in the distribution network in Jordan and Palestine, only half of this water is reaching the consumers. Reuse of treated wastewater is also very low in Palestine. On the other hand, the demand for both drinking and agricultural water use is quite significant in Jordan and especially in Palestine (where only a small fraction of the agricultural land is irrigated) creating a significant deficit between supply and demand.
• Water quality – The available water supply in the JV has been impacted by high water salinity levels due to geogenic causes. In addition, the main sources of anthropogenic pollution in the JV are wastewater from treatment plants and unsewered areas, fertilizer, pesticide and herbicide pollution from agriculture, urban solid waste disposal sites, aquaculture water use, and small “industrial” facilities mostly related to agriculture have impacted the water quality of Jordan River and create an additional stress on the ecosystem.
• Energy mapping – Energy supply appears to meet current demand; however, energy demand increases are expected to be high, necessitating in this way the development of an integrated strategy for the JV that should be based on renewable energy.
• Soil degradation – The agricultural land has been degraded due to continuous cultivation for millennia which has as a result extremely low soil organic carbon. The impact of this situation is depicted in the estimated production yields for the JV.  This is a common problem for the three territories of the JV necessitating measures for soil restoration using agro-ecological practices and active carbon additions to soils that will improve soil quality, fertility and health.
• Ecosystem degradation – The environmental pressures exerted in the JV are the result of intensive agricultural activities (agriculture, livestock and aquaculture), tourism, climate change, geogenic pollution, population and migration and invasive species. These pressures have resulted in significant impacts to the WEFE Nexus with surface water flow decline, groundwater depletion, high groundwater salinity, pollution and loss of biodiversity. To ensure the long-term sustainability of the region’s ecosystems, integrated and sustainable management approaches are essential to mitigate these impacts.

The impact of climate change has already been felt in the JV.  Precipitation in the North Ghor station was reduced from 395 mm in 1982 to 351 mm in 2021 (11% reduction) and in Mid Ghor from 338 mm in 1982 to 224 mm in 2021 (34% reduction) while the average temperature has increased by 1.9 ^oC in both stations during the same period. The impacts of climate change are expected to be more severe, necessitating immediate adaptation and mitigation measures to be implemented.