rather than only in the testing of technologies
CASE 9: Water and Soil Management in Olive Orchards in the Khanasser valley
Background:
With its 200 mm average annual rainfall, the Khanasser Valley is generally considered too dry to grow olives. However, before ICARDA got involved with olives at this place, a few olive groves already existed in the flat valley bottom and at homesteads, the oldest being established in the late 1970s (Tubeileh et al., 2004). Since 1997, the valley experienced a steady increase in the number of olive trees planted each year. In the main olive growing area (i.e. the Eastern hill sides of Jabal al Hoss, between Raheb and Harbakiyeh villages). In 2003 we counted more than 11,000 trees, or 80-90% of the Khanasser Valley's olive trees, grown both on hillsides and in the flat valley bottom. Although olive growers of the Khanasser Valley show great interest in growing olives in order to fulfill their subsistence needs, they are not skilled enough in the management of this tree since this area has not been known to grow olives in the recent past. In the meantime, the harsh prevailing conditions (mainly drought and high temperatures) render the growing and management of olive trees even more difficult. Therefore, it is a necessary to try to find solutions for the main limitations that constrain olive growing in this area.
Since 1998, ICARDA researchers were involved in promoting olive trees as a potential diversification strategy and in researching soil and water management aspects. Initially, subsidized on-farm experiments were set-up together with farmers. Although this was helpful in raising awareness about the potential of growing olive, it was felt that more active participation of farmers was needed to make the research more relevant to farmer needs.
Objectives:
To increase olive production and cope with the harsh and unpredictable environmental conditions in the Khanasser Valley, with special attention to water and soil management strategies.
Methods and activities:
Olive growing farmers were invited to join a farmer olive interest group, which will enable olive growers to work together with scientists and extensionists to share information and expertise, and address local problems collectively. Participatory research with farmers started with a meeting aimed at assessing the needs of olive growers regarding the management of their orchards. Farmers highlighted their problems and bottlenecks, and based on the emerging issues, experiments were designed and implemented by farmers and researchers together. A few meetings were held throughout the season to keep track of the work. Two main technologies were implemented: water harvesting and stone mulch in the tree basin. The steps of the approach undertaken are described below:
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1-
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Open public meeting to identify the olive interest
group
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2-
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Meeting to assess needs and discuss technology
constraints
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3-
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First extension field day on general aspects of olive growing (in cooperation with the Olive Bureau of Syria) |
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4-
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Preliminary field visits |
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5-
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Visits to fields of interested farmers to discuss field-specific potential solutions |
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6-
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Farmer trials and on-farm monitoring |
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7-
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Participatory evaluation |
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8-
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Return to step 2 |
Results and lessons learnt:
Technologies
Researchers suggested to farmers a new system, which involved them (1) not plowing their olive orchards and (2) constructing V-shaped stony-earth bunds around each of their olive trees to harvest water and to control soil erosion. In practice, however, farmers adapted this technology to their needs. They continued to plow, in order to minimize the growth of weeds (which they felt attract grazing sheep, fuel fires, and compete for water with the olive trees). But, they did like and build V-shaped and/or fishbone shaped earthen bunds around their trees to collect the water from the tillage-originated furrows. This simple, locally adapted system for soil and water harvesting is now being monitored by researchers in order to assess its physical and economic efficiency. The farmers who implemented the system think that the growth of their trees was stimulated as compared to trees without water-harvesting structures. On the other hand, according to farmers, water harvesting has also increased weed growth in the tree basin. In addition, the construction of these structures needs labor and it is believed to be useful only in good rainfall years.
None of the farmers was implementing stone mulch in the valley before the start of this work. However, after our meetings with the olive growers, a few olive growers applied this method to some of their trees. These farmers think that stone mulch conserved soil moisture and prevented weed growth. However, this method is labor intensive and might obstruct land plowing according to farmers.
Participatory process
The olive farmer interest group lost some farmers in the beginning. We assume that these were farmers who were not interested in what ICARDA scientists were discussing, but that they did not express their feelings in the hope to get some material benefit if they accept ICARDA ideas.
Overall, there is more openness and trust during the discussions, and the majority of the farmers are continuing to participate. This research approach helped to identify the motivated farmers, discover their interests, and identify local innovators and indigenous knowledge. Farmers were also encouraged to try out certain technologies by themselves.
Improved farmer-researcher interaction helped researchers learn more about potential improvements to the technology, while FPR work now complements on-going, controlled, on-farm research.
Nevertheless, some farmers privately expressed their dissatisfaction of the work with ICARDA because they were waiting for more concrete inputs from ICARDA. These farmers believe that the solutions provided by ICARDA so far do not make a big difference in their livelihoods. Therefore, ICARDA scientists should revise the technologies they have been suggesting to farmers and look for higher-added value solutions to have more impact on farmer livelihoods. One potential solution would be irrigation scheduling and techniques, which will be addressed in collaboration with some olive growers. This represents the first step on the road to achieve a higher impact on farmer livelihoods.
References:
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Tubeileh A. and F. Turkelboom. 2004. Participatory
research on water and soil management with olive growers in the
Khanasser Valley, Syria. 2002/2003 Season Report. ICARDA, Aleppo,
Syria. 44 p.
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Tubeileh A., A. Bruggeman and F. Turkelboom. 2004.
Growing olive and other tree species in marginal dry environments.
Integrated Natural Resource Management Series no. 6, ICARDA, Aleppo,
Syria. 116 p.
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