The project, which started in January 2005, took a regional approach to improve management of agricultural waste on both sides of the border between Israel and Jordan. It is highly innovative, combining elements of research, monitoring and groundbreaking pilot programs to achieve its goals. It includes transboundary training with Israel's Jordanian neighbors and a joint high school education program for Jewish and Arab Israeli pupils. The comprehensive goal was to develop a treatment strategy to handle agricultural waste generated in the region in the most effective and efficient ways possible: utilizing technology, education, cooperation and coordination.

The SASWMP project, funded by the EU LIFE fund, set for itself ambitious and innovative goals, reflecting “Sustainable Management Agriculture”, an ecological concept never before assimilated in the remote desert region of the Southern Arava.

Southern Arava Waste Management Plan

SASWMP

“The SASWMP project has generated capacity build-ing and environmental awareness that affects all the residents of the region. It has proven our ability to implement a complex envi-ronmental project, involv-ing infrastructure, educa-tion and monitoring. The success of the SASWMP en-courages the initiation of future projects that will im-prove the environment and thereby the quality of life for all the residents, includ-ing our neighbors across the border.” Mr. Udi Gat, Hevel Eilot Regional Council chairman.

The project has generated significant advances by:

⇒ changing public knowledge and awareness.

⇒ influencing and affecting decision-making.

⇒ facilitating Jewish-Arab education.

⇒ fostering cooperation between the peoples on both sides of the

Israeli-Jordanian border.

The main components of SASWMP are:

⇒ Two pilot Constructed Wetlands (CW) projects

⇒ Eco-Agriculture Training Program

⇒ Common Paths High School Educa-tion Program

⇒ Agricultural Waste Business Master

Plan.

� Ketura Valley CW

�Kibbutz Lotan CW �Common Paths

�Common Paths

The two Constructed Wetlands built and implemented at Ketura Valley and Kibbutz Lotan have significant ecological advantages over existing systems and generate eco-nomic resources:

⇒ CW have been proven as an efficient mechanism for sewage treatment worldwide, using a passive extensive technology not requiring energy resources, as do other intensive sewage treatment systems.

⇒ These systems conserve depleted water sources by use of treated sewage water for agriculture and parks.

⇒ CW sites attract migrating birds and reinforce the region's special

character as a passageway for bird migration. The increased

View schema at right:

Pre-treatment plant: two 650 m³ sedimentation ponds, which empty into two 1500 m³ oxidation ponds. At any given time, one of each set is in operation and the other is emptied and dried.

CW ponds: a series of six ponds built in semicircles. The three outer ponds are 900 m³ each, and the two middle ponds are 150 m³ each. The hexagonal collecting pond is 100 m³.

The CW is a Subsurface Flow System (SFS) wetland. SFS systems contain a bed of gravel planted with wetland vegetation. The plants and micro-organisms are the main agents of water purification, with the gravel adding an important element of filtration. In addition, the gravel acts as a matrix onto which the bacteria can attach themselves. The plants’ roots help preserve open spaces between the rocks of the gravel bed, enhancing the physical filtration, as well as absorbing the nutrients of the effluent.

Ketura Valley Constructed Wetlands

�Sewage flowing into

Ketura Valley before

completion of project

� Basalt—gravel

Water plants

Project goals:

⇒ Building, planting, and full im-

plementation of the wetlands.

⇒ Ending of current sewage dis-

posal pollution of the ground,

aquifer and dry riverbed (wadi)

paths.

⇒ Treating the sewage biologically

in a series of beautiful pools and

ponds using intensive wetlands.

⇒ Serving as an example of inten-

sive wetlands for other neighbor-

ing communities, and as a test

ground for plants and building

methods appropriate to our de-

sert climate.

The Lotan system is located within the community. The location was chosen to incorporate it into the planned ecological- educational Bird Park.

The system is separated into three sections, shown in the schema below.

The wastes from the cow barn pass into the straw separator. The wastes move from one section to the next by gravitation. Two of the four sections are accessi-ble by tractor to allow cleaning. Solids removed from these sections are spread on the drying surfaces and sold as fertilizer.

The filtered wastewater is then pumped to the anaerobic sedimentation tank, separated into three cells, with a total volume of 550 m³. The pumps are explo-sion-proof pumps adapted to work in explosive gases environment. Liquids pass from cell to cell through H-shaped pipes, which prevent sunken or floating solids to pass through. Liquids above a certain level in each cell of the sedimentation tank pass on to the next cell. Each cell can be completely emptied, with solids pumped out for separate disposal.

At the current daily flow rate of 120-150 m³, the wastewater passes through the sedimentation tank in about four days; then is pumped into the CW pools. The pools are built on a gradient, so the water can move from one pool to the next by gravita-tion.

The effluent enters each pool in a pipe that spreads it along the length of the pool. It then seeps through the medium to the far end of the pools, where it is collected (again by gravitation) into a pipe to be transferred to the next pool. Each pool has a different me-dium, beginning with large river stones and ending in fine gravel.

At the current daily flow rate of 120-150 m³, the wastewater passes through the sedimentation tank in about four days; then is pumped into the CW pools. The pools are built on a gradient, so the water can move from one pool to the

next by gravitation.

Varieties of gravel: Dolmite, Basalt , ranging in size from pebbles (10 mm) to rocks (400 mm)

Water plants varieties: reeds, rushes, canna lilies, sedges, pennywort, marsh hay, and canes.

� Piping and gravel layer �

Kibbutz Lotan Constructed Wetlands

�Water plants

Page 4

A transboundary educational program for train-ing both Jordanian and Israeli farmers how to grow environmentally sound fruits and vegetables and market the produce in European supermar-ket chains.

The Eco-agriculture program included two tracks conceived for each target group – the Jordanian agronomists and the Israeli date growers.

The Jordanian program:

GLOBALGAP protocols were chosen as the ap-propriate educational framework to improve en-vironmental behavior and provide economic in-centives. They promote a holistic approach to the “quality of product”, the well -being of the agri-cultural workers, and the environment. Farms that meet the GLOBALGAP standards, and are certified after external auditing, can market their crops to European supermarket chains, organized under the GLOBALGAP umbrella. In order to achieve the certification, intensive learning proc-esses, operational changes at every stage of production (planting, growing, harvesting, pack-ing house and shipping), procedures for re-cording and monitoring and major investments in infrastructure must all be executed.

16 agronomists from six Jordanian farms participated in the program. The GLOBALGAP standards were presented to the agronomists in Eng-lish and whenever possible, in Arabic. They were given an English version of the recording system for all agricultural activity (translated into Arabic), and a training program for all employees. HACCP (Hazard analysis critical control points) flow charts were dis-tributed. A company policy statement was approved, signed by the agronomists, and disseminated by them to the workers on the farms.

The achievement of GLOBALGAP certifica-tion is the significant measurement how the training course affected the management's and participants’ understanding of proper agricul-tural-environmental management, the subse-quent behavioral changes and the successful

implementation of Good Agricultural Practice.

Eco-Agriculture Training Program

The Israeli program upgraded the existing GLOBALGAP agricultural protocols to the de-manding TNC (Tesco) protocols.

The TNC standards have an even greater em-phasis than GLOBALGAP on the environ-mental impact of the entire growing process, from the field to the consumer. The TNC proto-cols are the best opportunity for advancing eco-agricultural practices in this major agricultural branch in the region. .

The program was aimed specifically at the date growers. Dates are the major crop in the region, grown by every kibbutz in the southern Arava.

The program of upgrading the Israeli date grow-ers' certification to TESCO Natures Choice (TNC) was a success, and the growers passed both the TESCO audit and the annual GLOBALGAP audit during August 2006.

�Irrigation/fertilizer—

”BEFORE”

�Irrigation/fertilizer—

”AFTER”

Collaboration between Israel

and Jordan in the Southern

Arava valley started in 1998,

when contacts and confidence

were built between the people

of the village Rahma in Jordan

(close to Kibbutz Yotvata) with

members of the Southern Arava

R&D Station and the Eilot Re-

gional Council. This was the

background to implementing

the Eco-Agriculture educational

program.

The Common Paths program, established originally in 2000, has blossomed following its inclusion in the SASWMP project. The Common Paths program was founded on the underlying mutual respect between two high schools, the Israeli “Ma’aleh Shacharut” and the Muslim-Arabic “Ein Mahil”. The ecological- en-vironmental platform developed for implementing the SASWMP project provided the impetus for mutual activities to confront social–cultural issues between Jewish and Arab Israeli youth. Concern for the envi-ronment is a joint interest and a "neutral" political issue, allowing for initial interaction between the pu-pils. After establishing a modicum of mutual under-standing and a joint dialogue, the more emotionally charged issues between Jews and Arabs can be con-fronted.

The Common Paths activities combine formal learning and mutual activities for pupils from the 9th grade to the 12th grade. The 9th grade pupils are first exposed to the program as part of the obligatory school sylla-bus; from the 10th grade onwards the participation is voluntary according to the individual pupils personal values and desires. For every age group there are spe-cific activities and programs.

Six joint pupil seminars and three Water Courses were carried out between Ma'aleh Shacharut High School and Ein Mahil Arab High School. These comprised some formal classroom learning, espe-cially about regional water issues, along with exten-sive informal learning through field trips and joint pupil activities conducted in each community. The field trips to Ketura Valley and Kibbutz Lotan en-abled the pupils to follow the construction and imple-mentation of the Constructed Wetlands.

The program interfaced with the Town Association for Environmental Quality in Sachnin

and The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies — this gave significant substance and

direction of the program. The resulting synergy is contributing to the

transferability of the program.

Common Paths High School Education Program

�Learning about the

environment

�Activity at joint pupil seminar

“Our goal is to breakdown stereotypes

and encourage the moderates from both

sides, in order to make a different , bet-

ter future for our peoples“. Muhammad

Habib Allah of Ein Mahil, "President" of

Common Paths.

Game-playing to get

to know each other

A master business plan was developed for treatment of all agricultural waste in

the Hevel Eilot Regional Council area, including cost-benefit analyses and

environmental feasibility studies of the use of available technologies. The

plan maps the distribution in space and time of agricultural wastes; reviews

available technologies to identify best solutions for our desert environment;

performs a cost-benefit analysis of these technologies and environmental

feasibility study. It covers all the regional agricultural activity: fields crops;

dairy farms, date and citrus orchards, poultry

raising, and sheep raising.

The plan compared methods of agricultural waste management solutions,

which are both environmentally sound and economically feasible. It cre-

ated a paradigm switch in the decision-making processes of the Hevel Eilot

Regional Council and local economic bodies. This switch has convinced

decision makers to see waste as a potential resource with the possibility of

sustainable economic growth. Ardom Regional Enterprises (ARDOM) , a local agricultural

business firm jointly owned by eight kibbutzim, decided to set up a compost venture based

on the recommendations of the plan. The center will treat all the compost of the region, accord-

ing to the standards of the Ministry of Environment , which is contributing 160,000 NIS for

the detailed planning process and environmental impact study. Expected completion: 2009

SASWMP

The Hevel Eilot Regional Council continues to support the implementation of the Master Plan as part of the overall solution for agriculture waste management in the re-gion, aided by the ca-pacity building gener-ated by the LIFE sup-port for the SASWMP project.

For more information on SASWMP.

General info: Uri Nusinow - SASWMP project manager Uri@arava.org TEL: 972-52-5708796

Agriculture Waste Master Business Plan: Dorit Banet – Director of Environmental Unit , Eilot-Eilat Moetza-Environment@ARDOM.ARDOM.co.il TEL: 972-57-2291026

Ketura Valley CW: Amnon Ruchin - Neot Smadar meshek@neot-semadar.com TEL: 972-8-86358111

Lotan CW: Sivan Soffer - Project manager Lotan-Law@Lotan.ARDOM.co.il Tel. 972-54-9799049 Eco-Agriculture: Amnon Greenberg– Director Southern Arava R&D r&d-manager@rd.ardom.co.il TEL: 972-54-9799188

Common Paths: Ayelet Eshchar - Ma’aleh Shacharut High school

ayelete@school.ardom.co.il TEL: 972-52-4218307

Raed Habib Allah - Ein Mahil High School raedhb@yahoo.com TEL:972-52-8024602

Agricultural Waste Business Master Plan