AMMAN — Jordan received an estimated 5,185.8 million cubic
meters of rainwater this season, representing only 63.3 percent of the
kingdom’s annual average rainfall, according to Minister of Water and
Irrigation Mohammad Najjar.
اضافة اعلان
“Jordan faced limited rainfall during the 2021 season,
bearing in mind that we are one of the most water scarce countries in the
world,” the minister told
Jordan News.
As the winter season nears its end, dams across the Kingdom
are holding around 146 million cubic meters of water, representing 43.4 percent
of their total capacity. This relatively dry winter is expected to add strain
on the Kingdom’s water sector and impact agricultural production.
Rain, a lifeline for agriculture
Dominated by arid weather, Jordan contains limited arable
land and water resources, with a share of water per capita below 100 cubic
meters per year according to the Ministry of Water and Irrigation.
A significant portion of Jordanian agriculture is rainfed,
meaning it relies on rainfall as opposed to irrigation, which draws water from
other nearby sources, making the rainy winter months a determining factor for
the volume and quality of Jordan’s harvest.
“Rainfed agriculture is more common in the north of Jordan,”
said Majd Al-Naber and Reem Alhaddadin, two researchers at the West Asia-North
Africa Institute (WANA Institute) a non-profit policy think tank based in
Amman.
However, rainfall levels also significantly impact other
parts of Jordan, notably the Jordan Valley — the country’s agricultural
breadbasket — through indirect impact on water available for irrigation.
The Jordan Valley receives irrigation water from the some 10
artificial dams built to ensure a stable supply of water for agricultural and
industrial uses. This water supply is managed by the Jordan Valley Authority,
which distributes the water to users through the spring and summer seasons.
“Even if the irrigation water comes from the dams,” Naher
added, “the dams are a catchment area for rainwater.” This year’s low water
levels will decrease the quantity of irrigation water available for farmers,
who remain the top water users in the country.
Impact of dry and warm winter
Jordan News spoke with several farmers in different parts of
Jordan to understand how they view the past winter and its potential impact on
their crops.
“There was not much water this year and its distribution
over the season was very bad,” Basil Al-Wir, a farmer from the Zarqa River
Valley, told
Jordan News.
However, Wir still hopes that late rain may improve the
season, at least in the west of Jordan where humidity is higher. “The month of
March is very important in terms of rainfall because this is the time when the
plants begin to grow. If we get good rain in March, the season can be saved,”
according to Wir.
“It rained well this season in terms of quantity, but the
distribution of rainfall in the season was poor,” said Elham Abbadi, a
community mobilizer in the agricultural sector and founder of Albalqa
Innovation Institute. “This winter, it rained only two or three times in large
quantities, while what is ideal is to have smaller quantities of rain falling
more frequently, which gives time to the soil to absorb the water.”
Another issue flagged by farmers was the warm temperature
this past winter, which can foster the development of insects, diseases, and
affect the growth of plants. “The cold provides the chilling requirements for
certain fruit trees,” Wir said. “This winter was very warm, which may lead to
issues with what we call ‘stone fruit’ trees. For example, apricot trees did
not flower in time. “
“In January we had warm weather for two weeks, which led to
a disorder in the growth of some crops sprouting too early in the season,”
Abbadi also noted.
If the ground has not absorbed enough water, farmers may
need to irrigate more than in the previous season. But this could be
challenging: “Irrigation is expensive, especially in the middle of this pandemic
and given the prevalent shortage of money,” Abbadi, who farms around Salt,
highlighted.
Shadow of climate change
“Farmers are used to inconsistent rainfall patterns” Wir
said, arguing that farmers can manage with this year’s rainfall if next winter
is better. However, decreasing rainfall could be a source of great concern in
the broader context of climate change, whose impact on Jordan is still
uncertain.
“The effect of climate change is not something we can notice
or measure over a one-year period,” Naher explained. However, based on field
research with farmers in Jordan, “farmers are noticing the effect of climate
change and the accumulated effect of drought seasons, which are more frequent,
as well as frost seasons.”
At the same time, global warming is likely to take a toll on
Jordan’s water resources, which are already overstretched. “Climate change is
exacerbating (water scarcity in Jordan), linked to a decrease of 20 percent in
annual precipitation over the last few decades and severe water shortages,”
according to the minister of water and irrigation.
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