Tracing Soil Amendment Impacts of Processed Bio-solids on the Rehabilitation of Jordan’s Agro-pastoral Areas

ABOUT US

The proposed TRACE Rehab project aims to combat the ongoing degradation and desertification of Jordan’s dry rangelands (the Badia) and to re-vitalize these depleted agro-pastures essential to the rural population depending on a livestock-based agricultural system. In the long term, the project will contribute to securing community livelihoods and the Bedouin tribal heritage of the country.

For more information please visit full project website

Period of Implementation

Mar 26, 2019 - Jun 30, 2021

Total Budget

USD 10,000.00

Project team

Stefan Strohmeier

ICARDA

Associate Scientist, Soil and Water Conservation - WLEP - ICARDA

Dr. Stefan Strohmeier is associate scientist for soil and wa... see more

Mira Haddad

ICARDA

Research Assistant - Spatial Analyses & Database Management - WLEP - ICARDA

Mira Haddad draws on 17 years of experience as an environmen... see more

Boubaker Dhehibi

ICARDA

Senior Natural Resources Economist

Dr. Boubaker Dhehibi is an agricultural resource economist.... see more

Africa and Middle East Deputy Regional Coordinator - Forest Service International Programs, Washington Office Office of the Chief

Partners

National Agricultural Research Center Jordan - NARC Jordan

Al-Balqa` Applied University - BAU Jordan

United States Department of Agriculture, US Forest Service - USDA-USFS

Donors

Ministry of Foreign Affairs - MINBUZA

United States Department of Agriculture, US Forest Service - USDA-USFS

IHE Delft Institute for Water Education - UNESCO-IHE

OUR IMPACT

Goals

Thriving dry rangelands (Badia) provide water, food and resilient livelihoods to its host communities in a large scale nutrient-cycle context.

Objectives

1) achieving resilience and nutrient enhancement of degraded rangelands (Badia) to vitalize an essential natural resource base serving Jordan’s rural livestock-based agricultural system, and 2) recycling of communal wastewater treatment by-product and providing a solution for upcoming storage issues.

Problems and Needs Analysis

The overall concept of the proposed pilot activity is the integrated and locally adopted knowledge generation through the merger of innovative science with local community inclusion and feedback, packaged with - and for - Jordanian governmental institutes. A combination of novel science and experiments within a community participatory approach will strive towards filling the existing knowledge gaps on adaptability and environmental impacts of the application of processed sludge in Jordan’s agro-pastures. This will be achieved through the strong science consortium established, which consists of an ICARDA, the Jordanian NARC and a well-acknowledged local university (BAU). The consortium will share efforts, and participate in an active exchange of experts, students and local community members from the target area.

Impact Pathway

The study strives to achieve two outcomes. First, that nutrient-enriched agro-pastures (pilot to small watershed scale) have increased soil fertility, land productivity and better withstand degradation for the benefit of the local livestock farmers, which are identified as downstream end-users. And second that collaborating wastewater treatment centers operate with reduced storage burden and resource loss through recycling of fertile processed sludge.