Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Soil and Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #384386
Research Project: Precipitation and Irrigation Management to Optimize Profits from Crop Production

Location: Soil and Water Management Research

Title: The MERIMIS project: Palestine-Jordan-Israel Irrigation Management Information System

Author
item Evett, Steven - Steve

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/26/2021
Publication Date: 5/24/2021
Citation: Evett, S.R. 2021. The MERIMIS project: Palestine-Jordan-Israel Irrigation Management Information System [abstract]. Achieving Sustainable Agriculture in Arid Regions, Middle East Regional Irrigation Management Information Systems (MERIMIS) Project, May 24th and 26th, 2021, Virtual. https://youtu.be/J2yenVJACs4.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The Middle East Regional Irrigation Management Information Systems (MERIMIS) project was a quadrilateral project promoted by the USDA Agricultural Research Service with support from the Department of State. The four partners were Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, and the USA. Envisioned as part of the Middle East peace process, the project focused on the common interest and investment in agricultural water management in what is one of the most water short regions of the world. Project objectives included: 1) Install automated weather stations, soil water sensors and lysimeters to develop and improve water management models/irrigation scheduling; 2) Improve water management in the Middle East by developing a regional system for dissemination of agro-meteorological and crop water use information; 3) Apply irrigation scheduling in farmer’s fields; and 4) Train the next generation of water professionals. The MERIMIS (www.merimis.org) weather network consisted of five stations installed in Israel, five in the West Bank, and five in Jordan. Irrigation water management experiments were conducted to determine the most effective irrigation regimes for a variety of economically important crops, including almond, beans, cucumber, date palm, eggplant, olive, onion, potato, strawberry, sweet corn, tomato, and wheat. A large weighing lysimeter was installed in the Jordan Valley in 2008 and so far, has been used to determine crop water requirements for beans, dry onion, eggplant, potato, tomato, and wheat. In recent years the lysimeter has been covered by a plastic green house and used to determine crop water requirements in plastic houses, which cover >35% of the irrigated area in the Jordan Valley. Between 2003 and 2019, 21 MERIMIS training programs and workshops reached hundreds of extension agents, hydrologists, irrigation scientists, and other water professionals, training the current and next generation.