A subsurface irrigation system “OPSIS” (optimized subsurface irrigation system) developed in Japan is expected to have high application efficiency because percolation water from irrigation pipes is restrained by an impervious liner sheet installed under the irrigation pipes, and non-consumptive irrigation water is circulated and reused as irrigation water. This study aimed to clarify the water-saving effects of OPSIS while maintaining crop yield. In this study, sugarcane was cultivated in fields where OPSIS was installed, and soil moisture was monitored using soil moisture sensors. The fields were located on Ishigaki Island, Japan, which occasionally experiences drought, mainly during the dry season (from July to August), with highest evapotranspiration and low precipitation. The results showed that soil moisture during the dry season was maintained above the soil water content of the primary wilting point by a lower irrigation water supply than the recommended rate provided by sprinklers on Ishigaki Island. The sugarcane yields were also higher than the average yield on Ishigaki Island. These results confirm that OPSIS contributes to higher crop production with less irrigation compared with sprinkler-based irrigation.

This study aims to compare the 1,4-dioxane removal functions of four willow (Salix spp.) strains during the two seasons (summer and autumn) and to elucidate the function of phytoremediation (volatilization, metabolism, and accumulation) of 1,4-dioxane-containing water by willow during the two seasons. This investigation tests the removal performance of 1,4-dioxane from solution by the strains; KKD strain which shows extremely fast-growing, HB471 which shows similar characteristics as KKD, FXM strain which shows relatively strong drought tolerance, and SEN which shows relatively strong insect resistance. Pot tests of 1,4-dioxane removal by willow revealed significant differences in removal rates between the summer and autumn seasons. In all four willow strains, the autumn removal rates decreased to 15.7 to 25.4% of the summer removal rates. The strain with the highest removal rate was KKD (37.5% of the exposure) during the summer season, making it the most promising strain. When comparing the percentage contribution of 1,4-dioxane removal by plant function in KKD, removal by transpiration was the largest contributor in both summer and autumn. However, in the autumn season, the contribution of transpiration to 1,4-dioxane removal was smaller, while the contribution of accumulation increased. This occurred because transpiration decreased during the autumn, causing 1,4-dioxane absorbed from the roots to remain in the plant body instead of being transpired. Considering the application of willow in arid lands, the importance of water management was suggested, as a decrease in transpiration was found to affect removal performance.

In order to establish the local sustainable hydroponics system by unused bioresources, the objective of this study was to evaluate 1) the feasibility of alternative hydroponics substrates that utilized rice husk and willow as biochar by 1-1) cultivation trial and 1-2) estimation of carbon sequestration and 2) the effectiveness of biochar substrates in low irrigation by the cultivation trial. Rice husk char (RHC) and willow char (WC) were tried as substrates in addition to rock wool (RW) as commercial products to grow cherry tomatoes under different water conditions (low irrigation and conventional irrigation). As a result, the water content of RHC and WC was higher than RW under both irrigations. Nevertheless, under both irrigations, RHC and WC showed similar results of RW in the fruit yield and quality (brix value, acidity, and lycopene). While low irrigation treatment decreased the commercial yield, the quality was improved except for lycopene. Besides, these substrates can contribute to carbon sequestration if they were used for soil amendment after using substrates in hydroponics. The refractory carbon contents of RHC and WC were calculated as 35.5, and 67.5 t CO₂eq ha^–1, respectively, in this experiment system. Thus, the utilization of unused bioresources as biochar showed the possibility of providing alternative substrates to RW, and the potential of carbon sequestration locally.

In India, about 6.74 M ha area is salt-affected, out of which saline and sodic soils account for approximately 2.95 and 3.79 M ha, respectively. About 5.5 M ha area also suffers from problem of waterlogging in the country. The management of saline soils often requires higher drainage intensity for quick leaching of salts from the soil profile; however, the existing drainage techniques involve heavy machinery and higher cost. Cut-soiler is a tractor-mounted, easy to use farm implement that constructs residue filled sub-surface drains. It uses surface scattered crop residue as filling material for preferential water flow to drain out excess water and salts from the operated area. This semi-controlled lysimeter study was conducted at ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI) in collaboration with 3) Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) during 2019-2021. The simulated Cut-soiler drains were constructed in 12 lysimeters along with 12 control (without Cut-soiler) as main plots. The two soil types i.e. saline (light textured sandy loam) and non-saline (heavy textured silty clay loam) were laid as sub plot treatments and three irrigation water salinity (4, 8, 12 dS m^–1) were applied in sub-sub plots in two replications. The Cut-soiler resulted in higher outflow of free water and salts with drainage during events of irrigation and rainfall. Hence, Cut-soiler reduced ~60% soil salinity after two years and improved mustard yield of successive crops. The Cut-soiler treatment significantly increased mustard seed yield by 31.5% over control. The Cut-soiler could be an effective technique for salinity, it can even be applied at individual farm level in a single operation.

Salinization is a long-standing problem that has threatened crop production and food security in arid and semi-arid regions. Salt accumulation in the root zone results in loss of soil fertility and alters the soil properties and therefore harmfully impacts soil’s environmental functions. To alleviate the impact of soil salinity, various technical measures and strategies have been developed over time. Cut-soiler constructs residue filled Preferential Shallow Sub-surface Drains (Cut-soiler PSSD) to enhance outflow of salts and manage the root zone salinity even with the simultaneous irrigation of saline groundwater for sustainable production. This field study was conducted (2018-2021) to standardize the optimum lateral spacing of Cut-soiler PSSD in saline field. Cut-soiler PSSD was constructed at 2.5-, 5.0-, 7.5- and 10.0-meter lateral interval at a depth of 60 cm using rice residue as a filling material @ 6 Mg ha^–1 and control (without Cut-soiler). The Cut-soiler PSSD reduced soil salinity from its construction in May 2018 to April 2021. After three years of Cut-soiler PSSD operation, the highest reduction in Electrical Conductivity of extract of saturated soil (EC_e) i.e., up to 52.4% was recorded in closest lateral spacing of Cut-soiler PSSD drains i.e 2.5 m as compared to initial EC_e values. The lateral spacing of 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0 m reduced 38.7, 35.9 and 31.4% salinity (EC_e), respectively over their corresponding initial EC_e values. The narrowest lateral spacing of Cut-soiler PSSD was found to reduce soil salinity up to 52.4% over no Cut-soiler plots. Therefore, closer spacing (2.5 m or less) found promising for salinity management in highly salt-affected fields for sustainable agricultural production.

Arid and semi-arid regions experience less rainfall and high evaporation rates and are very sensitive to land use transitions. Salt-induced soil degradation is one of the major constraints in arid and semi-arid regions of India. In India about 6.73 Mha land is salt affected out of which around 3.78 M ha is under sodic soils. Around 2.5 M ha area is covered under salt affected soils in Indo Gangetic Plains (IGP), the most fertile landmass. Besides infelicitous crop management practices, injudicious use of sodic water possess grave risks to soil health. High Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC) restricts the natural drainage, a rationale to surface and subsurface sodicity development. On farm residue burning is also a burgeoning problem in the semi-arid region of IGP where rice-wheat cropping system is predominantly followed. Fathoming the twin problem of sub-surface sodicity and residue burning the column study in semi-controlled condition is being conducted under ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (Karnal) and the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) collaborative project. The treatments consisted surface application of gypsum (SA), surface and sub-surface placement (50 cm below the surface) of rice straw residue and gypsum that is an imitation of sub-surface Cut-soiler assisted drains in field condition. The columns were irrigated with water having RSC <2 meql^–1 and ~5 meql^–1. The results showed that comparatively the higher reduction in soil pH was recorded in the columns irrigated with RSC <2 meql^–1 water as compared to ~5 meql^–1 under surface application of gypsum along with sub-surface application of gypsum and residue both. Consequently, the rice yield increase about 31% and 23% in the foresaid treatment as compared to control. Therefore, surface application of gypsum along with cut-soiler assisted sub-surface placement of amendments found promising in reclamation of sub-surface sodicity and increase rice yields under sodic soils.

Fluvial landscapes in the dry land parts of the world include soils with large quantities of soluble sodium carbonates and bicarbonates and abundant exchangeable sodium. The Indo-Gangetic alluvial plain (IGP) includes a large proportion of salt-affected soils in India of these 3.78 million hectares are sodic soils. Considering the problem of soil sub-surface sodicity the ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI), Karnal, and the Japan International Research Centre for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) have conducted a farmers’ field trial from 2019 to examine the effects of gypsum and rice residue placement by Cut-soiler machine at various lateral spacing on soil sub-surface sodicity and crop yield. The treatments include Cut-soiler assisted sub-surface application of gypsum, rice residue and gypsum + rice residue at 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 m of lateral spacing. The result shows appreciable temporal and spatial reduction in sub-surface sodicity and consequently increases in wheat yield during study period (2019-2021). The reduction in soil pH at 0.1 m, 0.4 m, 0.8 m and 1.2 m from Cut-soiler drain was recorded and it was observed that the reduction in soil pH was continuous and consistent from year 2019 to 2021.There was higher reduction in soil pH near to the Cut-soiler drain and this reduction was decreased with increase in distance from Cut-soiler drain. The soil pH reduced by 0.8 units (8.9 to 8.17) at 0.1 m distance in 2021. The soil pH at 0.4 m, 0.8 m and 1.2 m were 8.27, 8.46 and 8.67, respectively in same year. The wheat yield in 2.5 m lateral Cut-soiler drain was 18.3% higher than without Cut-soiler. Sub-surface sodicity management by placement of amendments along with filling material in Cut-soiler drains in turn further helped to increase grain yield of wheat and thus the amelioration effect was continuous and consistent.

Irrigation is essential for agricultural production. However, salinization induced by irrigation is a serious problem in dry land. Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP) is one of the remarkable areas where this kind of salinization. In this area, Border irrigation (BI) is a widely used, but high salinized water and sloppy irrigation management has caused severe salinization. Therefore, water-saving is necessary for decrease salt input to farmland. Permanent skip furrow irrigation (PSFI) is an easy and low-cost water-saving method. PSFI obtain water-saving effect by irrigate every other furrow. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of Every furrow irrigation (EFI) and PSFI on the soil moisture and salinity with lysimeter (2*2 m) experiment. Pearl millet and Mustard were cultivated in the lysimeter from 2018 to 2021, BI (Control), EFI, and PSFI were applied in Mustard cultivation. The amount of irrigation water in one time was, 50, 45 and 23 mm respectively. The results showed that average water contents of EFI and PSFI decreased by 20 and 30% respectively compared with BI. On the other hand, average soil EC_1:2 of EFI increased 19% compared with BI, whereas no difference was observed between PSFI and BI. The yield of Pearl millet tended to decrease by 4-24% using EFI and PSFI compared to BI. In contrast, the yield of Mustard tended to increase 26-64% in 2019 and 2020. EFI achieve 10% water-saving, but it may adversely affect crops productivity due to higher salt accumulation compare with BI.

There is a well-known phenomenon in tree crops known as “biennial bearing,” in which the fruit-bearing increases or decreases every other year. Synchronization of biennial bearing has been more prevalent in olives of the Eastern Mediterranean region, which includes Jordan and Syria, rather than fluctuations associated with rainfall and other climatic conditions. This synchronization phenomenon is thought to have been accepted in the region since the time of ancient civilizations, but modern science has not been able to elucidate its mechanism. On the other hand, the biennial bearing and synchronization phenomena have significantly been disrupted since the beginning of the 21st century. The disappearance of biennial bearing and the reversal of synchronization can be observed since 2008 in Syria and 2015 in Jordan. These periods coincide with when the problems of refugee inflows into Syria due to the Iraq War and into Jordan due to the Syrian Civil War became apparent, respectively. Therefore, this study examines the hypothesis that social, political, and economic factors, which have been neglected in agronomy, have substantially influenced those phenomena in olive production. Field surveys and experiments are conducted in the Irbid governorate of Jordan, where olive production is the most dominant agricultural activity, with significant labor and consumer population inflows from the bordering parts of Syria.

In many arid regions of the world, irrigated agriculture is the dominant water user. Monitoring irrigation system performance and improving water use efficiency are integral to sustainable water management due to increasing water demands for agriculture and other sectors under limited water resources and climate change conditions. Morocco is a country that severely affects current and future water scarcity. This study investigated the planning and management of water delivery practices and assessed the water delivery performance (WDP) of the Beni Amir irrigation scheme of about 34,000 ha in Morocco. WDP was evaluated at the lateral canal level in terms of adequacy, dependability, and equity. There are 14 lateral canals in the scheme, and they were categorized into 3 parts: head, middle, and tail. The data on climate and crops, such as cropping areas and patterns, were used to calculate irrigation water requirements for 2016, 2017, and 2018. We collected the daily discharge of each lateral canal and irrigation time for each field to calculate the monthly water supply to all fields. These calculations were aggregated on 10-day intervals based on irrigation frequency and the performance indicators were calculated. The water delivery performance: adequacy, dependability, and equity, were evaluated as fair and poor in all years. However, the dependability of water distribution to farmers is not as low as expressed in the indicator.

Since the time of ancient civilizations, the synchronization of alternate (or biennial) bearing of olive has been a well-known phenomenon in the Mediterranean region. The pattern of alternate bearing has been synchronized in certain orchards or nearby regions where horticultural trees grow. Although synchronization in olive production in the Mediterranean region has been observed, empirical evidence is missing. This study aims to determine whether the biennial bearing of olive production is synchronized. Using country-level panel data of olive production in the Mediterranean countries from 1992 to 2018, we estimated a spatial regression model of olive production using a geographically weighted matrix. After controlling for climatic factors that may influence olive production, we examined whether geographical proximity significantly explains the variation in olive production level, yield, and pattern of alternate bearing. Results suggest that the spatial autoregressive coefficient is positive and statistically significant. We conclude that geographical proximity between countries significantly explains the variation of the level and biennial pattern of olive production, indicating the existence of biennial bearing synchronization.

The global consumption of argan oil is on the rise, particularly in developed nations, where it valued both as a high-quality functional oil and a popular cosmetic product. This study explores Japanese consumer preferences for edible argan oil through a choice experiment, revealing a preference for olive and salad oils, suggesting limited awareness of its edible use. Two distinct consumer classes emerged; one strongly favoring salad oil and another preferring olive and argan oils. The latter group exhibited an interest in functional foods and had prior argan oil purchases. As consumer knowledge deepens, it is anticipated that the consumption of edible argan oil will be promoted, extending beyond of high-income consumers.

Soil degradation due to salinity and sodicity is one of the most important impediments to agricultural production in China. In addition, the need for the development of new, clean coal-refining technologies has risen in China. As a background of this research, salt-affected soils were ameliorated with coal bio-briquette ash, and the positive effects and the increase in carbon due to the soil amelioration have been confirmed. Moreover, the effect of salts leaching into coal bio-briquette ash has been investigated by using a soil column equipped with tensiometers and four-electrode sensors. Combustion ashes from coal bio-briquettes made from low-quality coal, biomass (corn stem), and a desulfurization agent (Ca(OH)₂) were examined to two types of salt-affected soil of higher EC and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) by the column equipment. Consequently, initial Na leaching was confirmed from the results of the leachate EC and Na content of the leachate at 3.0 wt% and 6.0 wt% application rates. Amelioration in the soil of higher EC and ESP with the coal bio-briquette ash was effective at a higher application rate. These results also indicate that ash has the possibility of ameliorating high-EC and high-ESP soils. Finally, we could predict the necessary water volume for Na leaching by using the experimental results and the meteorological data and could estimate the quantity of irrigation water necessary. These results indicated the effectiveness of using low-quality coal bio-briquette ash as a soil amendment to salt-affected soil of higher EC and ESP.

We have presented a new scheme, “optimized irrigation”, in which irrigation depth is determined such that net income during each interval is maximized considering weather forecasts and the price of water using WASH_2D, numerical simulation models of water flow and solute transport in soils and crop growth. To evaluate whether the optimized irrigation is also able to restrict salinity stress without any intentional leaching, we carried out an irrigation experiment in a sandy field. Potato was grown in a greenhouse in Tottori, Japan, using a drip irrigation system whose emitter distance was 20 cm and lateral spacing was 60 cm. Seeds were sown on 3 September below each emitter. Three treatments were established: 1) irrigation with fresh water (F), 2) irrigation with 2 g/L of NaCl solution (C), 3) irrigation with 2 g/L of NaCl solution and irrigation depth was determined with the proposed scheme (O). “F” and “C” were irrigated with automated irrigation systems using soil moisture sensors. Leachings were carried on “C” out on 12 (10 mm) and 21 (16 mm) November. “F” received the lowest amount of water owing to zero leaching requirement while “O” and “C” received almost the same mount. Net income was calculated under a producer price of 0.5 $/kgFW of tuber and the price of saline water at 0.5 $/m³. Treatment O gained the as high net income as F, revealing the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.

In tropical and subtropical island regions, alterations in precipitation patterns due to climate change have led to an escalation in extreme weather conditions. Owing to the limited availability of irrigation infrastructure, agricultural practices in these areas predominantly rely on rainwater and groundwater. The Optimized Subsurface Irrigation System (OPSIS), a water-efficient subsurface irrigation technology developed in Japan, was engineered to irrigate upland crops by harnessing soil capillarity. This study aimed to investigate soil water dynamics under OPSIS in a subtropical island located in Japan. The water supply from OPSIS in a field devoid of vegetation exhibited considerable variability contingent upon rainfall events. This observation implies that the infiltration of water captured by the waterproof sheet prompted the cessation of water supply in the OPSIS. Following the initiation of irrigation, soil water content increased at depths of 35 and 55 cm, proximal to the 60 cm depth from the OPSIS installation point, and soil moisture levels remained elevated, except at depths of 5 and 15 cm. Therefore, the implementation of OPSIS at a depth of 60 cm can effectively irrigate sugarcane with substantial water-saving benefits, except in the period immediately following planting. Irrigation and deep drainage were higher at 60 cm than at 30 cm depth of PVC sheet installation. To operate OPSIS with optimal water savings in areas with more severe water use restrictions, such as arid and semi-arid lands, controlling the irrigation of perforated pipes according to the soil moisture conditions in the effective root zone is essential.

Soil sodification is a soil degradation process that commonly occurs in the irrigated soils of arid and semi-arid lands, resulting in a significant decrease in productivity. Assessing the impacts of different types of water (irrigation water, groundwater, and rainfall) on soil drainage is important for achieving sustainable land management of irrigated areas. We investigated the changes in soil saturated hydraulic conductivity (HC) under different salt treatments by separating the effects of swelling and dispersion. The salt treatments were conducted at different salt compositions (SAR∞, SAR10, SAR0; SAR=Na/(Ca/2)^1/2 (cations: mol_c L^–1)) and concentrations (0.05, 0.01, 0.001 N) on Indian soil (sandy clay loam). The soil columns were continuously leached with each treatment solution and changes in the HC were plotted against the cumulative amount of leaching solution. Furthermore, the effects of swelling and dispersion by Na on the drainage properties were observed separately. Our results support the existing findings that dispersion is triggered at concentrations below the critical coagulation concentration (CCC), which further varies with the degree of sodification in a single mineralogy. The distinct manner of HC reduction between SAR10- and SAR∞-treated soils could imply different behaviors of the dispersed particles, which form a soil crust or cause soil erosion. Finally, we present the preliminary results of our experiments and discuss future research on the CCC reset mechanisms.

In semi-arid climates, rain-fed agriculture often faces long dry spells and crop losses. The use of plastic sheets combined with tanks may enable to harvest water in sandy fields where runoff seldom occurs. To present a methodology to determine an optimal tank capacity, we cultivated garlic (Allium sativum L.) in a sand dune, Japan under three treatments, A, B, and C having the same cultivation and plastic sheet areas of 24 m² and 12.5 m², respectively. Tank capacities for treatment A, B, and C were set as 500, 300, and 200 L, corresponding to storability of 21, 13, and 8 mm, respectively. Water was automatically applied through a drip irrigation system using tensiometers. Results showed that treatment A had larger stored water by 15% and 28%, as well as larger cumulative irrigation depth by 15% and 39% compared to B, and C, respectively. As a result, bulb yield was higher for A by 6% and 18% compared to B, and C, respectively. The optimum storability that gave the highest net income was around 18 mm. Without overflow from gutters, the average collection efficiency was around 95%. The methodology would be suitable to determine the optimal storability of the tank.

This study analyses the year-by-year and country-by-country expansion patterns of 656 Japanese companies into the African continent during 2013-2019. It analysed in detail the expansion trends in several countries of a group of 64 companies with similar expansion patterns identified by clustering analysis from previous study (Morio, 2022). An intercomparison of company expansion patterns by country and year revealed that in some countries the pattern changed dramatically between pre-2015 and post-2017. The countries showing these changing patterns were concentrated in Eastern Africa, including Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania and Southern Africa, including Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia. This may be due to the fact that many companies are based in Kenya and South Africa, making it relatively easy for them to expand into neighbouring countries with common markets and business practices. In fact, most of the new companies entering several Southern African countries since 2017 had established themselves in South Africa before 2015. However, only about half of new companies expanding into several countries in Eastern Africa had established a presence in Kenya before 2015.

The Tottori Sand Dunes, located along Japan’s Sanin Coast, are a UNESCO Global Geopark and a popular tourist attraction with millions of annual visitors. Monitoring of environmental conditions including sand movement is needed for the protection and utilization of the dunes. The objectives of this paper were (i) accuracy evaluation of aerial photogrammetry using three UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Drones) and two types of structure from motion (SfM) software and (ii) sand movement analysis in the dunes using the best results. For each flight, about 1800 vertical photographs (side overlap: 60%, and top-bottom overlap: 80%) were taken at altitudes of approximately 100 m above ground level using three UAVs for a 1500 km² area of the dunes. The obtained images were processed using two SfM software, PhotoScan Professional (currently Metashpae: Agisoft) and Pix4Dmapper (Pix4D), for building 3D models. The position data of survey piles in the dunes were used as the GCP (ground control point) setting for image processing and model evaluation. The results revealed that the accuracy of the models was significantly affected by the difference in the SfM software but was not greatly influenced by the difference in UAVs. The models generated from PhotoScan generally curved and had larger errors at the center parts and around the edges of the models (average RMSE=1.74 m), while the models generated from Pix4Dmapper had smaller errors throughout the entire areas (average RMSE=0.38 m). From the comparison of the models obtained from Pix4Dmapper, the characteristics of sand movement such as the movement of the ridge line towards the inland area, were elucidated in the dunes from 2016 to 2018.

The Amu Darya River and the surrounding groundwater aquifers are important resources for drinking water and agricultural use in Karakalpakstan, western Uzbekistan. However, access to these water resources has been limited because of the region’s arid climate. Considerable concerns for water quality are the contents of minerals and uranium. In Karakalpakstan, soil salinization has been caused by years of inappropriate and excessive irrigation with highly mineralized water. High uranium concentrations in drinking water can increase the risk of health issues such as kidney disorders. In this study, the concentrations of uranium were measured by ICP-MS to evaluate the quality of groundwater and the Amu Darya River. The uranium concentration of the river water was more than two-fold greater than in 2004. The uranium concentrations exceeded the WHO guidance value at some groundwater sampling locations. A correlation analysis between the mineral and uranium contents in groundwater showed a strong correlation when the uranium concentration was less than 100 µg/L. Conversely, there was no obvious correlation at uranium concentrations greater than 100 µg/L. While low uranium levels can accumulate naturally with salts, extremely high uranium levels are likely the result of intensive human-caused pollution.

This study assesses the value chain and competitive advantage of the Qatari date palm sector within the international market. The first part of the study focuses on development strategies to improve the value chain in the State of Qatar. A “strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats” (SWOT) analysis was used to explore challenges and opportunities leading to improvements in the marketing, commercialization, and competitiveness of dates and date palm products in Qatar. The SWOT analysis revealed that the diversification of date varieties and orientation toward modern plantations are the greatest strengths of the date value chain. However, increasing competition in regional and global date markets is a major threat to the date sector in the country. The second section of the study assesses the competitiveness of the Qatari date palm sector in the international market using a set of widely used indicators, including the market share, revealed comparative advantage, and trade balance index. The empirical findings reveal that Qatar is not competitive in the international date palm market given its very low comparative advantage. The study suggests that a strategy must be driven by stakeholders to clearly identify a vision for better marketing, prioritize actions, focus investments to increase competitiveness and growth, and expand profitability in the date value chain.

Rainfall harvesting in arid regions and semi-arid regions increases soil water availability for plant during the growing season, thus increasing crop production. Jordan is facing the most serious water shortages in the Middle East. It is an arid country located east of the Jordan River with a land area of about 90,000-km. Contour stone terraces have been widely used by Jordanian farmers in the hilly areas for soil and water conservation purposes. Traditionally, farms’ soil is subjected to systematic deep plowing to break up the surface rocks and then remove stones for installation of stone terraces. A new land reclamation method for water harvesting has been experimented in the hilly parts of Jordan that improves the effectiveness of traditional stone terraces. The method consists of designing semi-circular stone bunds randomly based on the micro topography of land. Semi-circular bunds were located at areas having deep soil pockets and adequate runoff rocky area and do not require deep plowing with minimum land disturbance. This method minimizes soil erosion, maximizes rainfall harvesting due to the high runoff efficiency from runoff rocky areas, and promotes biodiversity. The cost of this method is about 85% less than that of the traditional stone terraces used by Jordanian farmers. Field evaluations showed that semi-circular bunds increased soil moisture and Sage yield in the cropping areas by about 7% and 35% compared to control areas, respectively. The soil depth in some of the cropping terraced areas increased by about 3 and 25 cm at the end of the 2003/2004 and 2016/2017 rainy seasons, respectively.