The Deir Alla Living Lab focuses on helping farmers adapt to severe water scarcity through practical, low-cost solutions that combine irrigation efficiency, renewable energy, soil improvement and integrated farming practices.
Led by the National Agricultural Research Center (NARC), the Living Lab operates in the Middle Jordan Valley through demonstration sites at the Deir Alla Agricultural Research Station together with a local “champion farmer” pilot farm.
The region faces interconnected pressures linked to:
In this context, the Living Lab focuses less on high-tech complexity and more on combining practical interventions that can realistically work under local conditions.
Combining water, energy and food solutions
The Deir Alla Living Lab tests integrated WEFE Nexus solutions combining smart irrigation, water harvesting, composting, solar energy systems and integrated crop-livestock production. Field activities include forage and vegetable cultivation, crop rotation and demonstration of different irrigation and farming approaches under Jordan Valley conditions.
Particular emphasis is placed on:
The Living Lab also explores how integrated farming approaches can help reduce dependence on imported animal feed while improving resource efficiency across water, soil and energy systems.
Demonstration under real farming conditions
A key aspect of the pilot is its role as a demonstration and learning site for the wider Jordan Valley.
The Deir Alla station and the Abu Hamdi “local champion” farm act as lighthouse examples where farmers and stakeholders can observe solutions operating under real conditions.
Current activities include:
Initial results already indicate promising progress, with the Living Lab reporting early improvements linked to water use efficiency and agricultural productivity. The pilot also works closely with Water User Associations (WUAs), ministries, agricultural incubators and private sector actors, recognising that wider adoption depends as much on institutional cooperation and farmer confidence as on the technologies themselves.
Building practical pathways for adaptation
The Deir Alla Living Lab demonstrates how integrated WEFE Nexus approaches can support agricultural adaptation in one of the Mediterranean region’s most water-constrained environments.
Rather than focusing on single technologies in isolation, the pilot explores how combinations of relatively simple interventions — irrigation management, renewable energy, soil improvement and integrated farming — can work together to improve both environmental and economic resilience.
As one of the NexusLabs Mediterranean Living Labs, Deir Alla contributes practical experience on how sustainable agriculture can be adapted to extreme water scarcity while remaining feasible under real farming and economic conditions.