On-Farm Evaluation of Improved Barley Production Technology Packages in Jordan

The Mashreq Project s objective for Jordan aimed to increase barley production, in order to support the increasing livestock population and reduce the high grazing pressure on the already degraded rangelands. Crop production technologies developed through on-station trials are ultimately targetted for farmers’ fields for a large scale production. Demonstrations on farmers fields were conducted using a best-bet package and one or more components of a recommended package of practices. The data were analysed to evaluate the effect of technology and its components from a farmer’s perspective and from the state perspective. Averaged over 70 farms from nine locations and five seasons, the best-bet package increased grain yield 81% over farmer management practices. Fertilizer and improved variety of the ’minimum- input- technology’ contributed to yield increases — grain yield by 38% with improved cultivars and by 51% with fertilizer application. Improved cultivars, when fertilized, increased grain yield 106% over the unfertilized landrace. Risk assessment indicated positive yield gain in using the package. Farmers are increasingly accepting the Project technologies in other areas of Jordan and other countries in the Mashreq region. This implies that substantial gains in barley production could be achieved by the use of these technologies in other regions where similar climatic conditions prevails