1a.Objectives (from AD-416)
The objective of this cooperative research project is to develop technology and methodology for efficient use of water in agricultural systems suited to dry land climates, by applying Irrigation Management Information System (IMIS) techniques.

1b.Approach (from AD-416)
1. As appropriate, conduct research and technology transfer, and cooperate on the Irrigation Management Information System (IMIS) project, which is part of a cooperative research project bringing together participants from Israel, Jordan, Palestine, and the United States to Improve water management by providing data for scheduling irrigation and other crop management decisions to increase irrigation efficiency in the Middle East and The United States.

2. Establish an IMIS research and extension sites to represent important agricultural production systems in Palestine. Evapotranspiration (ET) models for several conventional and specialized crops will be evaluated for the designated sites and prioritized according to applicability criteria. Soil and plant water-status measurement instrumentation will be evaluated, adapted and integrated into the system according to the same applicability criteria.

3. Conduct collaborative regional research on measurement of crop water use and calculation of crop coefficients for key crops, such as cucumbers, peppers, and specialty crops.

4. Establish interaction with local universities, farmers, farm advisors, and extension personnel in order to implement the IMIS system to ensure wide acceptance and sustainability.

3.Progress Report

The PARC team participated in a workshop on renewable energy on how to build a wind turbine to produce 700 kw of energy. The project is funded by the European Union. MERIMIS will play a fundamental role since the stations provide data on wind speed, wind direction and solar radiation, which is very important for the success suchprojects. A wind turbine will be built in the Hebron area where there are two meteorological stations that will be maintained soon. To underpin renewable energy using wind turbines, a wind atlas is needed, and MERIMIS can participate in drawing this atlas since the stations are found in various locations. Thus, in addition to the role that this project has played in supporting farmers, the weather stations can now be used to support the generation of renewable energy for other parts of these communities.