Agriculture on the alluvial fans in the Jordan Valley

Agriculture on the alluvial fans in the Jordan Valley PDF

Abd Al Mounam Zaky Alsaady

Supervisor(s)

Dr. Mansour Hamdi Abu Ali -

Discussion Commity

188 صفحة

Abstract :

ABSTRACT The study deals with the agriculture on the alluvial fans in the Jordan Valley in the lowest and middle region that extends from the village of Bardala in the north to the south of Jericho, where the study addressed the geographical characteristics of the area that forms a unique phenomenon on Earth. Due to its location in the Jordan Valley, the lowest parts of the earth, it is surrounded by high mountains from the east and west, the thing which prevents the arrival of psychotropic marine winds and the coming rainy winds from the Mediterranean. This means that this region lies in the rainy shadow that makes it classified within dry environments. Because of the steep valleys and the presence of the valley from the west, alluvial fan has been formed near the mountains as a result of the sediment carried by those valleys in periods of flood. Therefore, a group of alluvial fans has been monitored in the study area in terms of size but relatively similar in terms of substance and development of growth. Those fans are formed in the period between Pleistocene and Holocene era, in which it has followed this era of rainy periods of drought limiting the ability of valleys to reach the Jordan River. As a result, the Sediments are a constituted at the feet of the mountains, causing the alluvial fans to reach the current form. Alluvial fans are considered the best agricultural areas as it contained flood fertile soils and abundant water, which come from the valleys and groundwater. Moreover, the high temperature and warmth are some of the characteristics of that region leading to the natural growth of the crop in a short period of time compared with the rest of the Palestinian Territories. Therefore, the area was called food basket of Palestine, but this region is suffering from desertification problems of soil and water due to the increased salinity which limits the ability of its production. There are other obstacles such as the problem of land confiscation by Israel; the establishment of checkpoints; the segregation wall that creates problems in the investment of those Agricultural regions; the difficulty in marketing products, and finally the increasing number of buildings on the ground of the alluvial fans. The study presented some reforming proposals that enable the development of alluvial fans territories through the improvement of dealing with it and know the characteristics of this region and the establishment of agricultural projects, and putting clear development policies for the development of alluvial fan areas and prevent urban extent ions. Where the study aimed to publicize the economic importance of fans flood in the Jordan Valley to identify problems experienced by those fans and the ways in which to reduce the impact of these problems on agricultural production on fans flood. The researcher followed in this study the scientific analysis and theoretical and practical field through books, periodicals and pamphlets related to the subject matter, also adopted a statistical analysis of data through a program (SPSS), mapping and forms using geographic information systems (GIS) The study group focused on the results confirm the presence of problems relating to agricultural land and water quantity and quality, as well as the problems of salinization of soil and contain elements that reduce their productivity, then the problems related to production and its internally and externally marketing in addition to the problems of guiding services and scientific research. The study has presented some reforming proposals in which the ministry of agriculture and the ministry of environment have the role of establishing scientific research centers, detecting the environmental issues on the fan areas, and giving the farmers perfect experience regarding how to develop the agricultural sector. It is also recommended that farmers should develop alluvial fans territories by improving them; learning the characteristics of this region; establishing appropriate agricultural projects, developing policies for clear development zones of alluvial fans, and above all preventing establishing buildings on such agricultural areas.

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