Water Innovation Technologies Project (WIT) Quarterly Report: Third Quarter– Fiscal Year 2021

The project's objective is to increase water conservation in Jordan by focusing on water efficiency in the agricultural sector and at the community and household levels. The project's theory of change states that if barriers to the adoption of water-saving technologies are systematically broken down at multiple levels, adoption of water-saving technologies by farmers, households, and communities will increase, leading to the sustainable management of water and natural resources. The project goal is to save 18.5 million cubic meters of water by addressing market system constraints in the adoption of innovative water-saving technologies in the agriculture and household sectors. WIT works to facilitate the uptake of advisory and financing services and uses an integrated strategy with a social and behavioral change approach to help a variety of water sector market actors overcome key barriers and constraints at individual and institutional levels. For the agriculture and household sectors, lack of knowledge, information, and access to appropriate financing services are key constraints in the adoption of water-saving technologies. Through private companies, WIT promotes the sustainable and scaled adoption of water-saving practices and technologies in agriculture, households, and key market actors who work directly with farmers and communities in the North of Jordan. WIT works in collaboration with the Government of Jordan through the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Jordan Valley Authority, and Water Authority of Jordan, and the Ministry of Social Development, along with other partners including the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture and the International Water Management Institute. During the reporting period, WIT's agriculture component completed the installation of sensory systems to develop data-driven irrigation services. The installation of these systems and the proper introduction of information and data will facilitate the availability of accurate information such as crop water requirements and irrigation events management, which will ultimately result in better irrigation practices and scheduling. Simultaneously, WIT continues to support irrigation equipment suppliers to introduce and promote their water-saving technologies, resulting in 399 hectares being optimized during April to June, bringing the total of water saved to 14,318,968 cubic meters. Within the Households component, WIT continues to provide technical support to water-saving technology suppliers that completed their investment fund agreements previously. The Jordan Cooperative Corporation and the Ministry of Social Development held an introduction meeting on revolving loans. Additionally, a weather station system was installed in a farm at Al-Mafr, which will provide accurate and timely information on weather conditions, enabling farmers to make informed decisions about irrigation practices. The project's activities aim to inform farmers and households about the financial, environmental, and access-related benefits of water-saving technologies, building market demand for related goods and services. WIT also builds the capacity of market actors to design, distribute, promote, and finance water-saving technologies, improving the supply and affordability of related goods and services. The project's progress is monitored through a set of pre-identified market barriers, which frame program objectives and guide activities to bring improved and affordable water-saving practices and technologies into use among farmers, households, and communities. WIT's intervention at schools aims to educate children on water-saving practices and technologies, while the project's environmental mitigation and monitoring plan and report (EMMP and EMMR) provide a framework for monitoring and evaluating the project's environmental impacts. The project also focuses on gender, communications, and community-based water projects, among other areas. Overall, WIT's activities aim to increase the adoption of water-saving technologies by farmers, households, and communities, leading to the sustainable management of water and natural resources in Jordan.