Mechanized construction of micro-catchments for water harvesting (WH) was successfully tested in the Badia (dry rangeland) areas in Syria and Jordan, using the “Vallerani” plow, model Delfino (50 MI/CM), manufactured by Nardi, Italy. The plow was able to construct intermittent and continuous…

Rainwater harvesting in micro-catchments such as contour ridges and semicircular bunds is an option for utilizing the limited rainfall, improving productivity and combating land degradation in dry rangeland areas (Badia). However, implementation of this practice using manual labor or traditional…

This will ensure more sustainable ecosystems and improved rural livelihoods. Emphasis is given to building on local knowledge by using existing data, social capital, research linkages, partnerships and proven methodologies and technologies in the region thereby ensuring the sustainability of the…

This report is a documentation of data gathered during the project for the Badia Benchmark, organized in a way to facilitate the on of various disciplines. The purpose is, to facilitate the use of this data for better management of resources during the project and to provide accessible and user…

The Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region encompasses large areas of arid and semi-arid zones. These zones may be defined as areas where rainfall, relative to the level of evapotranspiration, is inadequate to sustain reliable crop production. Most of the arid and semi-arid zones…

The shortage of water in arid zones represents the most serious obstacle to poverty reduction because it limits the extent to which poor producers of crops and livestock can take advantage of opportunities arising from emerging markets, trade, and globalization. Water shortage in arid zones…

This report will focus on results of 2004/05 and 2005/06 seasons in which the conventional handmade microcatchment was compared to the mechanized one through research done at the Jordan University of Science and Technology site.

In relevance to the project objectives and expected outputs, the reported research aimed at introducing a mechanized transplanting technique to the WH system to reduce costs and time of establishment of fodder shrubs, thus improving overall system capacity and making large-scale implementation…

This Executive Development Program for the years 2011-2013 has been launched to complement the previous development programs and to serve as an action plan for the government for the next stage. The Program seeks to realize a set of objectives as follows (i) strengthen the independence and…

Six varieties of forage kochia (Kochia prostrata [L.] Schrad.), two Atriplex shrubs native to North America, and four drought-tolerant perennial grass varieties were seeded and evaluated under arid rangeland conditions in Jordan. Varieties were seeded in December 2007 and evaluated in 2008 and…

This study analyses and compares national legislation on wildlife management in twelve countries in Asia and Oceania, with the aim of identifying strengths and weaknesses of legal frameworks in the promotion of sustainable wildlife management and in allowing disadvantaged people, particularly…

In this issue, we will be looking at work underway on the Voluntary Guidelines on responsible governance of tenure of land and other natural resources. We will also look at work done in Thailand and lessons learned by the German-financed Bioenergy and Food Security project.