EcoFuture Pilot Demonstration in Jordan: A Step Towards Sustainable Agriculture

The EcoFuture project is making strides in Jordan with its pilot demonstration, utilizing the National Living Labs approach to co-design innovative solutions that address the interconnected challenges of the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus. The Jordanian pilot focuses on two main objectives: restoring degraded agricultural land and enhancing water supply for irrigation.

This pilot project introduces advanced water harvesting techniques to collect water from three dunums of greenhouses, which will irrigate tomato crops. To maximize efficiency, the collected water will be stored in an irrigation pond, and photovoltaic (PV) panels will be installed using the standard overland method. This approach will generate solar energy to power agricultural activities. The pilot will incorporate techniques from the PRIMA-LENSES project, which aims to reduce irrigation water usage by two-thirds by delivering water directly to the plants. Additionally, the project seeks to enhance soil fertility and biodiversity by increasing organic matter, with tomatoes scheduled to be planted using these sustainable practices in late-September 2024.

If these water harvesting techniques were applied to all 75,000 dunums that exist in the Jordanian section of the Jordan Valley and assuming 300 mm of annual rainfall, the total water harvested could reach 22.5 million cubic meters which represents over 10% of Jordan’s current irrigation water usage.

The EcoFuture project’s pilot demonstration in Jordan is a crucial step towards fostering sustainable agricultural practices and improving the resilience of the local ecosystem.