LocationsRain and floods no longer frighten us: Climate-resilient irrigation in Yemen
November 20, 2024
a train that is traveling down a dirt road With the rehabilitation of Al-Ehsan Canal, irrigation is improved for 285 hectares of farmlands in Tuban, Lahj Governorate.
Supporting farmers’ resilience to climate change and enhancing food security
Years of conflict in Yemen have led to economic decline and a deterioration of the country’s agricultural sector, exacerbating widespread food insecurity.
Climate change further intensifies these challenges, particularly in rural and agricultural areas. Yemen experiences prolonged periods of severe drought, along with heavy, rain-induced floods that destroy agricultural infrastructure, erode soil, and hinder farming activities. This has significantly widened the food insecurity gap in Yemen.
In response to this threat, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with funding from the World Bank, is implementing the Food Security Response and Resilience Project (FSRRP) in Yemen. This initiative, in collaboration with local partners the Public Works Project (PWP) and the Social Fund for Development (SFD), aims to address the most urgent needs in Yemen’s most vulnerable regions. To improve food security and help communities sustain food production, the project focuses on rehabilitating and protecting agricultural infrastructure, while promoting climate-resilient farming practices. One of its key interventions has been the rehabilitation of Al-Ehsan Canal in Wadi Tuban, Lahj Governorate.
Reviving the Al-Ehsan region
The Al-Ehsan Canal provides water to farmers in the area – but with recent flooding, the walls of the canal were constantly being washed away, and with them, previous water for irrigation. The restoration of the canal was carried out by the Public Works Project through a community contracting mechanism, which not only provided workers with income to support their families, but also helped them gain new skills.
Engineer Awsan Thabet, a consultant for the Public Works Project in Lahj and Al-Dhale'e governorates, emphasizes the critical impact of climate change on agricultural lands:
"Climate change has caused heavy flooding that led to soil erosion in the valley bed, reducing water levels and preventing water from reaching irrigation canals, and, consequently, farms. This has caused many people to stop farming and seek alternative employment."
Engineer Awsan Thabet at the rehabilitated Al-Ehsan Canal, Tuban, Lahj Governorate.
The project has helped in effectively utilizing floodwaters by raising water levels in the valley and directing them into the irrigation canals, which then reach the farmlands properly. During construction, the intervention contributed to enhancing food security by creating 111 job opportunities for local community members.
The Al-Ehsan Canal Project involved the construction of a sedimentation barrier in the middle of the valley, a diversion barrier, protection walls, the installation of control gates, and the cleaning and rehabilitation of 8,000 meters of irrigation canals. The project benefits 285 hectares of land.
Awsan emphasizes the importance of the project in securing water, restoring agricultural lands, enabling farmers to continue working, improving their livelihoods, and enhancing food security.
The installation of control gates, the construction of protection walls, and the improvement of 8,000 metres of irrigation canals, in Tuban, Lahj Governorate.
Providing job opportunities
Rehabilitation of the Al-Ehsan Canal has helped farmers reclaim and improve their lands and livelihoods, while also providing job opportunities for many agricultural workers.
Fadhl, head of the community committee for the project, explains:
"Before the intervention, the situation was dire. The irrigation canal was made of dirt barriers that were constantly washed away by floods, and rebuilding them was costly for the farmers. This project has expanded the agricultural area and increased crop production. Those who benefit most from the project are local farmers, but residents of neighboring villages also benefit. Around 200 people from nearby villages work on these farms, earning daily wages that serve as their main source of income."
Fadhl, head of the community committee for the project, explains: " This project has helped expand the agricultural area and increased crop production.” Tuban, Lahj Governorate..
Reclaiming farmland
Abdullah, a farmer whose land has been revitalized following the Al-Ehsan Canal Project, says, "Before the project, the lands were subject to erosion due to the floodwaters flowing through the valley, causing significant damage to the land and crops, without us being able to use the water for irrigation. The rehabilitation of the irrigation canal provided water and directed it through the canals to the farmlands. The project helped me reclaim the land, increase crop production, and improve my living and financial situation. I’m confident the next season will be better, as I am now ready to work and increase my production." Abdallah hopes to get a drip irrigation system to further reduce farming costs.
Abdullah, a local farmer in Al-Ehsan, holding freshly picked limes from his revitalized land, Al-Ehsan, Tuban, Lahj Governorate.
Enhancing food security
The rehabilitation of the irrigation canals, along with the construction of protection walls, was crucial for improving rain-fed agriculture in the area, which in turn strengthens food security and enhances farmers resilience to climate change.
Dunwah, a local farmer and father of three, explains, "The rehabilitation of the canal has improved irrigation significantly and allowed us to benefit from rainwater that used to wash away the soil and cause damage to the farms and crops.”
Dunwah, a local farmer in Al-Ehsan says: “Rain and floods no longer frighten us; we now feel secure after the rehabilitation of the canal.” Tuban, Lahj Governorate.
Dunwah adds, "Rain and floods no longer frighten us; we now feel secure after the rehabilitation of the canal. We used to spend a lot of money on diesel for groundwater irrigation, but now the costs have decreased, and prices have dropped for the agricultural season.”
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Funded and supported by the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), the Yemen Food Security Response and Resilience Project (FSRRP) is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the World Food Programme (WFP). UNDP’s component of FSRRP improves agricultural production infrastructure and builds climate resilience and is implemented in partnership with the Social Fund for Development (SFD), and the Public Works Project (PWP).
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