A number of farmers in Jerash Governorate have called for an increase in their shares of water harvesting projects due to the decline in rainfall quantities in recent years and the resulting negative effects on the agricultural sector and production decline in various areas.

Farmer Mohammad Al-Ayasrah said that climate changes and the decreased productivity of springs and water sources have directly affected farmers, who now rely on purchasing water from tankers to irrigate their crops, increasing production costs and weakening the competitiveness of local products.

He explained that farmers heavily rely on implementing water harvesting projects to provide alternative and sustainable water sources that contribute to crop irrigation and reduce financial burdens, noting that many farmers lost a large part of their crops last summer due to drought and water shortage.

Bilal Al-Qadri, a member of the Environment Initiative ‘Tajamona’, pointed to the importance of expanding water harvesting projects across various areas of Jerash, explaining that these projects are sustainable solutions to face climate change challenges and water scarcity.

Farmer Hammam Al-Zaboun confirmed that some farmers were forced to change traditional farming patterns due to water scarcity and shift towards crops that consume less water, indicating that water harvesting projects have become an urgent need to secure supplementary irrigation in summer and protect crops from damage.

Engineer Ola Al-Mahasneh, Director of Jerash Agriculture, said that the directorate implemented 275 wells this year to collect rainwater within water harvesting projects, with a cost of 1,500 Jordanian dinars per well, funded by 120,000 dinars from the Governorate Council and 292,500 dinars from the Ministry of Agriculture, in addition to implementing 3,000 meters of irrigation canals and updating plastic pipes worth 70,000 dinars.

Al-Mahasneh pointed out that these projects contributed to improving water use efficiency and reducing losses, confirming the continuation of implementing new projects next year to meet increasing demand and support the sustainability of the agricultural sector in Jerash Governorate.