Irrigation Rehabilitation and Modernization Project

The IRMP was launched in 1996 to help communities in rural areas overcome two major constraints: the unsuitability of hilly land for cultivation and the isolation of the villages.

The objectives of the project were to increase the agricultural incomes, welfare and employment of small farm households in previously neglected areas where irrigation schemes were being rehabilitated and to achieve sustainable and improved management of water resources. Additional complementary objectives included: strengthening essential agricultural services that would maximize the benefits of increased availability of irrigation water; assisting isolated farming families in improving their incomes through the provision of sustainable water resources (i.e. upland lakes); and improving the socio-economic prospects of rural women through the systematic expansion of services targeted at women. The project area covered Yammouneh, Quasmieh Ras El Ain, Danniye, Akkar El Bared and Bekaa South

The Ministry of Agriculture was strengthened through the establishment and operation of a Project Coordinating Unit within the Ministry, procurement of office equipment and staff training.

IRMP targeted about 33,000 farm households, of which 21,000 were in the five major schemes and 12,000 in the small and medium schemes. In general, crop yields and intensities increased in several schemes. Stability in rural regions increased as a result of farmers’ increased average incomes, the provision of directly accessible water and the adoption of improved agricultural techniques. Water was used more efficiently, reducing water losses. Organic farming demonstrations led to a reduced use of environmentally damaging pesticides. The project was largely successful in rehabilitating and modernizing irrigation infrastructures on 24,300 hectares of land.
 

Source: IFAD