BZU, IHE Delft conclude joint training on monitoring water productivity

The UNESCO- IHE Delft Institute for Water Education and the Institute of Environmental and Water Studies at Birzeit University held a training workshop about the newly-launched “FAO Water Productivity Database (WaPOR); a portal to monitor Water Productivity through Open access of Remotely sensed derived data monitors and reports on agriculture water productivity.

The training was held in the presence of a number of prominent representatives from universities, ministries, public agencies, agricultural organizations and research centers.

The 2-day training aimed at exploring spatial information on water productivity, water consumption, crop yield, and weather conditions for the African continent and Middle East. It introduced the concepts, methodologies and functionalities of the WaPOR database. Practical applications of using this water productivity information for monitoring and assessment in the West Bank were discussed through several hands-on exercises.

The FAO has recently developed a new tool; WaPOR open-access database that taps staellite data to help farmers achieve more reliable agricultural yields and allows for the optimization of irrigation systems. The new tool focuses on key countries that are or are projected soon to face physical or infrastructural water scarcity.