THE PLACE OF ANCIENT AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES AND TECHNIQUES IN YEMEN TODAY:
PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES
Sanaa, Yemen
June 18-20, 2000

ABSTRACTS

FIRST THEME: ORIGINS OF AGRICULTURE AND ITS TECHNIQUES

1) Dr. Kharaiti L MEHRA: "Origin, domestication and selection of field crops for specific Yemeni environments"
 
Archaeobotanical evidences suggest that at least by the second half of the 3rd. M.B.C, the Central highlands of Yemen were practising agriculture by growing crops of West Asian (wheat and barley), African (Sorghum), South Asian (small Millets) and local (Date Palm and Ziziphus) origins. Additional crops from diverse geographical origins were taken into cultivation from 1st M.B.C ( in kingdoms of SABA, Qataban and Hadhramaut) to the Islamic period. Domesticated/adapted, both local and introduced crops were selected by the Yemeni farmers for growing in diverse agro-climatic conditions of Yemen. Patters of available diversity of several crops (cereals, millets, legumes, oil seeds, fodder etc.), their characteristics and uses, and agro-climatic adaptations are discussed. Lessons learnt from traditional agricultural practices, using diverse land races of several crops for specific purposes, are elaborated for prosperous sustainable Yemeni agriculture.
 
Language: English
2) Dr. Miquel BARCELÓ: "The hydraulic set up of Bayt al-Aswal valley: a case study"
 
The results of the hydraulic survey of the area of Zafar will be presented. Hydraulic units and terrace formation will be described and maximum sizes of the agricultural lay-outs measured.
 
Language: English

3) Dr. Joy MCCORRISTON: "Ancient Agricultural Practices in Hadramawt: New Insights from the RASA Project"

 
The RASA Archaeological Project, dedicated to exploring the Roots of Agriculture in Southern Arabia, seeks to document introduction, implementation, and change in domesticates and agricultural technologies in Hadramawt province and most particularly in the southern Jol. This paper discusses some early results of archaeological research and explores theoretical problems in applying this archaeological knowledge to contemporary situations. Archaeological survey and excavation in Hadramawt have documented a variety of types of agriculture practised in the distant and recent past, including shruj, seiyl, canal, and qanat. But if one anticipates applying archaeological knowledge, then it is critical that one understands how that knowledge is produced &emdash; whether through typological or technological analysis of the material remains of agricultural practices. Use of typological results in modern agrarian development may inherently carry considerable risk of failure, while use of technological results from archaeological research offer theoretically and practically sound application.
 
Language : English
SECOND THEME: THE TRADITIONAL YEMENI KNOWLEDGE
 
1. Plant protection
 
4) Dr. Abdul Gabbar AL-KIRSHI: "Traditional storage of grains in underground pits (Madafen)"
 
Grain storage in pits has been used in Yemen for at least 3000 years. The objective of storage structures is to furnish a protection against insects and vertebrate predators. Approximately 50 % of grain production in Yemen is stored at farm level, generally for family consumption but also for sale and for seed. Pits were almost universally used in Yemen for grain storage by farmers, land owners and the government. These storage are located in highlands of Taiz, Ibb, Dhamar, Sadah, Hajjah etc. By farmers pits average are 3.5 m to 5 m in depth and 2 m to 4 m in diameter at the widest point and up to 15 m in depth and 3 m to 4 m in width by the government. Many pits are lined with sorghum stalks and leaves, others are simply rendered with mud plaster. There are several types of pits, most of them flask shaped covered with ton, cow dung and mud, or a large stone covered with soft mud. Basic principles are the hermetic storage and the modified atmosphere. The O2 concentration in the atmosphere of an airtight pit falls below 4 % due to the grain respiration and the activities of eventually presence of insects and micro-organisms, while the CO2 concentration increases above 30 %. This process leads to self preservation of grains. These storage methods which have evolved over many generations are often well adapted to local conditions.
 
Language : English
 
5) Dr. Ahmed Mohamed SALLAM and Dr. Sa'id BA'ANGOOD: "The evolution of insect bio-diversity in Yemen"
 
The Insect Fauna of Yemen has been mentioned several times in ancient agriculture, either as pests e.g. locusts and termites or as bio-control agents e.g. predatory ants for the control of date palm pests. Each region in Yemen has its own local name for the same pest which was still used till now. This paper also mentioned different local methods for pest control in ancient agriculture in Yemen. The Fauna of Yemen attracted several scientists from outside Yemen The history of insect collection started from the eighteenth century and continued till nowadays. The total number of identified insect species exceeds 3450 species belong to 25 insect orders .There are more than 125 insect species bear the name of Yemen or a place of Yemen particularly Socotra. The paper concludes that Yemen has a unique bio-diversity of insect fauna, but unfortunately most of it are lying in the natural museums outside Yemen. Therefore it is recommended that establishment of a Natural History Museum in Yemen is of vital importance, to show and study the bio-diversity of insect fauna in Yemen.
 
Language: Arabic
 
6) Dr. Saleh Omar Al-BAITY: "Traditional methods of grain storage in Wadi Hadhramawt"
 
The governorate of Hadramout is considered as one of the major agricultural regions in the republic of Yemen, whereas the total land devoted for agriculture in Wadi Hadramout has been estimated nearly as one million hectares : 29% is really cultivated whereas the remaining 600000 hectares are composed of 87% of pasture land. In the Hadramout territorial area, as it is the case all over the Yemeni national areas, traditional systems have always been conducted with high dependence on rainfall for irrigation.
As for grain storage, the inhabitants of this area depend on specific systems that really keep the seeds safe from insects and sheltered from damages of other pests and other animal attacks. Throughout our study we shall present the different ways and the several methods of grain storage that had been historically conducted for specific crops species.
 
Language: Arabic
7) Dr. Sa'id BA'ANGOOD: "Some ancient practices used in agricultural pest control in Yemen"
 
Data presented in this paper have been obtained from reports of Scientific Expeditions to Yemen, survey of published and unpublished papers and reports as well as results obtained from questionnaires distributed to old farmers to know how our grand Yemeni farmers did in ancient days to manage agricultural pests. Results have shown that Yemeni farmers in ancient times believed in " Protection is better than Cure". They selected the right variety of a crop to be sown in the right sowing date which was known according to known local calendars called "Alnojoum". Yemeni farmers were among the old nations who used bio-control agents for the control of agricultural pests. They used to bring predatory ants from mountains for the control of date palm pests in their orchards in Wadi Hadramout and Tihama area. They also put sticks to facilitate their movement from one tree to another. Our grand Yemeni farmers also used sand, ash, oil and some repellent plants to manage agricultural pests;as well as mechanical methods including collecting and eating some agricultural pests like locusts and termites.
Yemeni farmers also used different techniques and containers to store their agricultural products. They used "Madafin" and barrels for cereals, clay containers such as "Ziar" and goat skins to store dates; and to protect stored food products they used plant materials such as "Mraimrah", oil, and ash. These old practices Yemeni Farmers used in ancient times formulate what we call recently Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for agricultural pests which we badly need these days.
 
Language: Arabic
8) Dr. Abdul Rahman THABET & Dr. Ali Kassim ISMAIL: "Importance of inherited expertise in environmental balance and integrated pest control"
 
The significant factor in sustainable development plans is the necessity of benefiting from all traditional expertise in rural areas to preserve environmental balance of goods and their vital enemies. The international organisations regard the sustainable development with its indicative elements, as the base of any universal development programme. It has therefore become part of the agricultural international economy, brought under the combined consideration of all or many nations. In the light of these essentials, the preservation of environmental balance and the control of pest reproduction must take advantage of the inherited findings and practices handed down from generation to generation, in laying the integrated pests control programmes which aim to control the number of pests and to keep their number below the economic threshold, over which economic losses start to appear.
Appreciating these traditional practices and benefiting from them can save from much trouble and reduce the need to applying chemical insecticide as a sole means of pests control. The international trend becomes in favour of the integrated control policy including all agricultural, natural and legal means as substitute methods to the chemical insecticides which must not be introduced unless the number of pests exceeds the economic threshold of infestation. This study was conducted in order to record the inherited practices adopted by the earlier Yemeni farmer to preserve the crops, in three provinces including Sana'a, Taiz and Hodeidah.
The study concluded that the Yemeni farmers have inherited many traditional advantageous practices which proved to be effective in the past, while the increasing use of pesticides led to the extinction of many indigenous knowledge in addition to environmental imbalance and pollution.
 
Language: Arabic
2. Agricultural practices
 
9) Dr. Geneviève BEDOUCHA: "A "culture" of land and water : the example of sorghum"
 
On the basis of data collected in a valley of the far North of the country some ten years ago, and from the analysis of the different steps of an ancient and essential crop in men's life, we will show the acute knowledge of men regarding the close link between water and land: a richness of knowledge which gets its strength in a real still long-lived tradition. To illustrate this matter, we will talk about another example far away from here, in Sahara, the example of irrigated date-palm trees in oasis field. There, men have been deprived of their knowledge in less than two decades, in the name of a modern knowledge conveyed by different experts and technicians. They now take no further part in the control of irrigation techniques. To succeed, to obtain men's co-operation, a clever development policy will have to recognize and to be based on the very precious indigenous knowledge.
 
Language : French
 
10) Dr. Mohamed Said KHANBASH: "The history of bee keeping in Yemen"
 
Language: Arabic
11) Dr. Abdul Wahed SAYF and Dr. Ahmed LUTF: "Agricultural systems in the Highland"
 
Yemen varies in its topographic levels, kinds of soils, and sources of water so its agricultural activities vary from one part to another.
For centuries, Yemenis have been successfully finding the suitable agricultural systems for each part.
This research is about the agricultural system in the Highland regions, which includes a study for the agricultural practices such as plugging times and methods, sowing dates, methods of planting, fertilization, harvesting and methods of storage of cereal crops.
 
Language: Arabic
12) Qadhi Yahya bin Yahya Al-ANSI: "Ancient knowledge in the Yemeni agriculture: the case study of seed-time"
 
As it is probably familiar to most of the Yemeni people, the Yemeni farmer has always been a hard-worker and his energetic activities really made a substantially documented civilization throughout history. The inherited experiences from the grand father to the father and consequently to the son in the field of agriculture e.g. has visibly been highly enriched throughout centuries. Additionally all the ordeals and the interaction with the prophecy has been even conveyed through generations throughout poetry, proverbs and sayings, interesting and efficient ways of knowledge transmission till now. This agricultural wisdom really throughout its significance and its value, becomes an agri-legislation documentary and furthermore an accurate reference in land cultivation.
However and despite the significance of the above mentioned wisdom, it really seems that this valuable phenomenon is really facing its extinction .The reason behind this, is the obvious and notably semi-immigration from rural areas towards the cities, thus abandoning land activities. Our care appears to be weak in front of the dangers of this phenomenon. The collection of what has been left of this precious wealth in our heritage in an aim of its revival through a full documentation. I really have the wish to call and to vitalize the concerned and the entitled authorities to take over their responsibility in this and to take in charge the tasks being mentioned above. This is really of great benefit for the future generations. That also would be the determinant reference for any future agro-development project. This has been explained in my book - the first edition of 1998 &endash; in which I have seriously focused on some of the harmful systems of pest control: through chemical means, toxic pesticides which as a result affect men and environment as well. Finally it really is of a great in value to quote the old Yemeni saying which goes: "He , whose fire -dry wood stalks for firing and cooking comes from karad (a hard semi coal and lasting in burning and for cooking good food) and he , whose food comes in harad (a fertile area that comes from it the purest clay pots for cooking) then he does not know any marad (means does not get ill at all)."
 
Language: Arabic
 
3. Water and agriculture
 
13) Gerhard D. RAPPOLD: "Control of the Water Scarcity: Hydrological analysis of a traditional terraced catchment in Yemen"
 
Water is the most limited resource for agriculture in Yemen. To ensure its efficient use in this semi-arid environment a landscape of terraces was designed to optimally preserve this scarce resource. The water shortage is increased by the high variability of temporal distribution over the rainy season. Gap's in the water supply over a short, but significant part of the growing season endanger the yield significantly. The traditional water harvesting &endash;terrace system increases and stabilises the water balance significantly.
Beginning with the actual needs, the crop water requirements for local growing conditions are computed and compared with the actual precipitation of meteorological time series to detect periods of water stress and drought risks. Further steps evaluate the effects of local water management measures such as retention effect of the terraces, water harvesting and redistribution. The different types of terraces are classified according to their 'water efficiency'. These are the basic figures for assessing the hydrological carrying capacity.
 
Language: English
 

14) Ing. Ibrahim Ahmed SAEED: "Documented study on some cases of traditional irrigation systems and water harvesting: in Hadhramawt and Shabwa governorates"

 
We can only be admirative and astonished in front of the capacities of these simple and humble men who managed with nature forces for their benefit and the benefit of the people. In spite of dry climatic conditions, dominant for 6000 years, and limited land and water resources, they were able to create and provide agriculture products. Field visits extended for two months. Researchers documented and lightened different traditional systems, 'urfs and legislation which control and administrate these systems. A number of ways and methods applied in agricultural irrigation, sharing and distribution of water, maintenance of irrigation devices, rights and obligations for each land owner, were documented. The study includes detailed documentation for one of the rarest systems in Yemen, that is irrigation with Ma'aeen in Ghail Bawazir (Hadramout Governorate) a similar system to the Al-Aflag one in the Sultanate of Oman. The study concluded that spate-irrigation still and will remain the main backbone for agriculture system in the study area in particular and in Yemen as a whole. The study focuses on the importance and high efficiency of traditional irrigation devices such as channels, worth being conserved, and the necessity of transferring knowledge and know-how to new generations. This study was completed in December 1996 with funds from the Dutch Support Project to Environmental Protection Council.
 
Language: Arabic
15) Dr. Ali Aidrous Al-SAQAF and Dr.Ahmed Saleh BASOUAID: "Traditional methods of spate-irrigation in Lahej Sultanate"
 
Language: Arabic
16) Dr. Ibrahim al-DOOMI: "The Yemeni farmers are "hunting" the rain"
 
Language: Arabic
 
4. Social rules and laws governing these practices
 
17) Ueli BRUNNER: "Sharing water"
 
The demand for water in an arid or semi-arid region like Yemen is great. As a part of the ecosystem, men have to share the water with nature. Every society has different needs for water be it for irrigation, household, industry or religious purposes. This paper gives an overview over the changing needs during the history of Yemen. Helpful information on the problems of the present situation can be obtained.
 
Language: English
18) Ingrid HEHMEYER: "The spirit of cooperation in Yemeni agricultural practices - successful cases from the past, and their applicability for the present- "
 
This paper argues that in irrigation systems throughout Yemen, social systems of negotiation, arbitration, and mutual agreement must be in place for the physical systems to be effective. Two examples from the past are cited here where this principle produced noticeably effective results. These are the famous irrigation systems at Marib, the origins of which go back to the 3rd millennium BCE, and the systems in the Wadi Zabid which operated from at least the 9th century until the present. In the case of both Marib and the Wadi Zabid we are dealing with communities that are utterly dependent upon control and successful management of the scarce water resources for their livelihoods, and it is argued here that operation of the irrigation systems would not have been effective without considerable social cohesion, to allow for distribution of water and maintenance of the system. The principle still applies today, that a prerequisite for sustaining the physical systems is sustaining the social systems.
 
Language: English
19) Dr. Ali Abdul Malek al-ABSI: "The importance of Yemen indigenous rangeland management system"
 
The Mahjour system is one of the most ancient and important traditional conservation system of natural resource in Yemen.
The system is of pre-islamic origin, and is still used with some modifications due to fulfil the new situation need related to land use, livestock ownership and other factors. The system thus, became part of local people indigenous knowledge of land resource management. According to rangeland ownership, size, goals and the place of pasturing in a whole farming systems, three main different management systems could be distinguished. They are seasonal or temporary reserved areas, located among or adjacent to cropland and kept out of use from seeding until harvesting cropland. The second reserved area type is the permanent Mahjour. This type is reserved for one or more year. The third one is range area under semi-rotational system use, which could be found in desert area and practised by Bedouins. In this case, rangeland is composed of many sites and is used in different times each year. Their use depends on range vegetation re-growth and annual rainfall. The importance of the indigenous system practise lies in the fact that the range sites are protected from grazing at the beginning of the first rainy season each year until the end of the second rainy season. This closing period gives forage plants enough time to grow and to form seeds for regeneration and restoration of the native vegetation. Moreover it has been found that the vegetation cover inside Mahjour area, could be up to 1.5 times as high as area under continuous use. At the present time, it is essential to mention that the different fruitful and productive traditional management system have to be documented and analysed in order to be improved and to fulfil the farmer need, and to guarantee a sustainability in term of bio-diversity conservation. The documentation and improvement of the local rangeland management systems are of utmost importance where this system is now threatened.
 
Language: Arabic
THIRD THEME: INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
 
1. Effect of new technologies on traditional agriculture
 
20) Gerhard LICHTENTHALER: "Adjusting to the extreme shortage of a common resource : runoff, resource capture and social adaptive capacity"
 
Forces of economic and social change during the 1970s and 1980s facilitated the unsustainable exploitation the Sa'dah aquifer. By the early-1990s groundwater levels in the Sa'dah basins, home to a farming population of about 180,000 people, were declining by 4-6 metres annually. In a worst-case scenario the area's groundwater resources will be exhausted in a few decades (Van der Gun 1985) unless a shift from the emphasis on increasing supply to water demand management (WDM) can be achieved.
Allan & Karshenas (1996) have shown that under conditions of extreme water scarcity, such as experienced in parts of Yemen, natural resource reconstruction can take place. This describes the process by which a social entity acts to introduce principles of water demand management, with the aim to reduce consumption by increasing efficiencies, and by developing alternatives over time. The capacity to achieve a transformation of approach has been termed the adaptive capacity of a society (Turton, 1999). Adaptive capacity is defined as the sum of social resources that are available within a society which can be mustered in order to effectively counter an increasing natural resource scarcity (Ohlsson, 1998; 1999).
This paper looks at some aspects of adaptive capacity as evident among tribal communities in the Sa'dah basin. Firstly, it will be shown that Sa'dah's tribal groups have demonstrated adaptive capacity over the past decades to respond to changing circumstances and needs. Secondly, the study indicates that perceptions of the value of water are changing. Thirdly, this paper argues that the role of traditional value systems and communication media such as poetry should be investigated, in an attempt to generate 'water wisdom' and to develop a viable water demand management (WDM) strategy that is regarded by the population as being both reasonable and legitimate.
 
Language : English
 
21) Mohammed AIDRUS ALI & Helen LACKNER: "Impact of modern technologies on traditional soil and water conservation techniques: Shabwa and Hadramaut"
 
The paper examines how changes in technology and approaches have negatively and positively affected the practices in soil and water conservation. It specifically compares old and new methods of construction of spur and water distribution canals and also examines socio-economic changes in the last 50 years or so.
 
Language: English
 
2. The importance of the indigenous knowledge in agricultural development
 
22) Stefan KOHLER: ""Arabia felix" as a burden for agricultural development: The impact of ancient and traditional water-rights on the agricultural crisis in Yemen."
 
The recent problems in Yemeni agriculture can be explained if viewed in the context of the conflict between the rapid economic and social developments of the last 30 years on one hand, and the retention of traditional rights and institutions governing these developments, on the other. The author advances the thesis that agricultural developments have become far from sustainable due to a divergence between the technology in irrigated agriculture and the regulations governing resource use. Future development will never be sustainable if these regulations are not modernised as well.
 
Language: English
23) Dr. Daniel M. VARISCO: "Indigenous Knowledge and Traditional Yemeni Irrigation"
 
Yemen's agriculture has flourished over hundreds of years because of the variety of ways in which limited water resources have been used for irrigation. Relevant historical sources include a number of legal case studies, primarily 'fatawa', and descriptive information in Rasulid agricultural texts on irrigation of specific crops. However, most Yemeni farmers' knowledge about irrigation has not been documented until relatively recently. In this lecture I will discuss the importance of indigenous farmer knowledge for sustainable irrigation development based on my ethnographic fieldwork (1978-1979) on the springfed irrigation system of Ahjur. I will first outline the importance of 'indigenous knowledge' in recent development efforts world-wide. Then I will provide a few examples from my ethnographic data to illustrate the relevance for Yemen. Sustainable development should build on the existing knowledge of generations of farmers rather than assuming that new and modern methods can be transplanted to Yemen in a vacuum.
 
Language: English (delivered in Arabic)
 
24) Dr. Sallam Ahmed Al-GHAOURY: "Ancient agriculture experiences and point of view strategies for agricultural development in Yemen"
 
Language : Arabic
 
25) Dr. Amin Abdou Sofiane Al-HAKIMI: "Traditional farming systems: their role in agricultural sustainable development, in Yemen"
 
The comprehension of the notion of sustainable agriculture is conveyed by the range of reliance and dependence on the inherited knowledge in matter of management of natural resources. Probably all agricultural systems throughout history were aimed to keep up the process of production and to fulfil the necessary needs of man. Maintaining these agricultural traditional systems which fed men, was the aim of the production of numerous species adapted to the environmental conditions and the biological surroundings.
Looking back at the history of Yemen in the field of agricultural productivity, we can say that the Yemeni farmer succeeded in preserving natural resources as well as the wealth of different crop species. First studies indicate that 150 plant species were used in the past. Most of these were cultivated till the early 70's. After that time, this number decreased as a result of the rapid change in agricultural processes, to the detriment of the traditional agriculture. Through this paper, we are going to discuss the role of the inherited knowledge and traditional ethnic agriculture in the preservation of a sustainable agriculture in the Republic of Yemen.
 
Language: Arabic
 
26) Dr. Qahtan Y. ABDUL-MALIK: "Ancient irrigation water practices towards sustainable development (Lessons for the recent water crisis)"
 
The paper describes different practices of water resources management in the ancient ages, some of which are still practised and some others have been modified. These practices were not only located in the mountain areas, but also in the wadi (valley) areas and developed to conserve water for all purposes: drinking, irrigation, livestock and recharging the aquifers. The paper also treats the effects of modern irrigation practices on the overall environmental aspects related to the soil, water and wild life. Lessons that may be learnt from the differences between the old and modern practices, are described to call for adopting the new technologies with some considerations and to help in developing the old practices in order to be more efficient.
 
Language: Arabic
27) Noori GAMAL: "Hydrology and agricultural development"
 
Agricultural hydrology or agrohydrology is the part of hydrology which is of importance for agricultural practices.
The agricultural sector in Yemen is still by far the largest sector as far as employment is concerned, but due to subsistence farming and low productivity its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is disproportionately low. The sector is extremely vulnerable to variations in rainfall and related water resources. Irrigation is the largest public investment in many countries in the developing world. Today, the demand for agricultural products-food and fibre- is largely met. Irrigation will continue to play a critical role in our continued ability to feed ourselves. As demand for agriculture produce increases, driven by population growth and rising income, the bulk of increased production will have to come from irrigated land. Irrigation supplies plants with water which is often the most critical input to production. Water is an increasingly scarce resource, requiring careful technical, economic and environmental management. Regional inventories suggest that approximately 92% of the water resources developed in Yemen are used in the agricultural sector. Although the projects divided toward the improvement of agriculture are usually carried out by multi-disciplinary teams, which include irrigation and drainage engineers, agronomists, soil scientists, etc…,specialists should have basic knowledge of the hydrology of farm-land.
 
Language: Arabic
28) Mougbel A. MOUGBEL: "Obstacles and perspectives in agriculture in Yemen"
 
Language : Arabic
 
29) Dr. Majid HUSAIN: "Transformation of agriculture in the developing countries. A case study of India"
 
Agriculture in all the developing countries has been transformed substantially. Yemen and India make no exception to this. The present paper deals with the changes in Indian agriculture during the last three decades. These changes in agriculture have influenced the ecology and the society. Agriculture occupies an important position in Indian economy. Its contribution to the national income is about 30% and still, about 70% of the total population is directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture. In the mid-sixties, a new technology, based on high yielding varieties was introduced in the Indian agriculture. The new technology has revolutionised the cropping patterns, crop combinations, crop intensification and rotation of crops. The present paper based on the published data and the primary information gathered by the author in the form of structural questionnaire is a modest attempt to examine the spatial changes that have occurred in the rural landscape over the period of last thirty years. The impact of Green Revolution on ecology and society has been empirically ascertained. It has been concluded that as a result of the new agricultural technology, the productivity of cereal crops (wheat and rice) has gone up substantially. The traditional mode of life has changed and mutual co-operation system destroyed. There are numerous ecological and socio-economic problems which have emerged as a result of the Green Revolution in the Indian agriculture. The spatial dimensions of the problem have been examined at the meso- and micro-levels.
 
Language : English
 
POSTERS
 
Mohamed Ashour AL-KATHIRI: "Traditional methods of date processing in Hadhramout"
 
 
Dr. Saleh AL-RAMAH & Dr. Jawid Ahmed Ali AL-JAILANI: "SFD experience in water harvesting systems"
 
 
Mohamed Abdul Rahmane AL-HABASHI: "The implication of family labour allocation on resource"
 
 
Said Abdou AL-SHARGABI: "Mulching stones in coffee agriculture terraces: one method to control land conserve soil and water"
 
 
Ayoub Ahmed AL-MAHAB and Maad Abdel Moujid AL-ANI: "Integrated management for watershed in Saouan area"
 
Yemen as a whole could be classified as an arid or semi-arid region and could be characterized by the scattering highland in its futures, and in its limited natural wealth. Despite all that Yemenis could and from the very beginning to pressure the balance between peoples needs and the natural wealth productivity. This could only be realized through the excellent management for those natural wealth and their operational field conduction. These wealthes as resources became to confront the fact of the population increase, and due to this fact it became in regress. (population increase doubles every twenty years). The latter gave to an increase effectively, and enforced the more of resources exploitation. Whereas water is considered as the significant and the major resource amongst these; it submitted to an unrighteous, unfair exploitation throughout the last years epoch.
Therefore, there has been the stress in the importance of putting up a study for the rain water falls in an aim of preserving it, utilize in best way, and pay much more care so as its quality does not get contaminated or improper.
The research studies models and styles in managements of the waterfalls as resources of Sawan waters. (Bani Husheish region &endash; Sawan Surrounding. The research, upholds the study from the viewpoints of Socio-economical, hydrological, and further more historical. It also tackles different systems through which utilizing water. Thus the research study relies as is based on field practicum and certainly has it coverage all over the surrounding most the villages around the fall, the waterfall, in its northern and southern. Thus the research is in fact containing villages of Brian, Hosn, Rona, middle Sawan, and Karba.
The study also contains some of the recommendations, some of the proposals necessary for the fullfil of the management aim in full for the total waterfalls in the Yemen Republic as a whole. Some of them are as the followings:
1- There has to be started where people are, because and naturally every rural location has a rainwater fall, whereas each has its own natural conditions, its social circumstances and the specific economical ones. On the other hand villagers have their own energies and capacities, their own problems, and their demands in necessity of enlightment and education for the preservation, and the revival of the old systems and theory & practice in balancing and the operational management action related with the water resource &endash; to document in written all that in an ultimate aim of enhancing it for the better whenever needed.
2- In limiting problems, villagers have to be trusted as well as to believe in their proposals and instructions related to the study finalization. There really is the vital role to help them to share in all activities etc., an aim development of their lands and property, whether financially in the projects costs and expenses. etc, in matters concerning irrigation. This serves as an incentive and a reseasonable motive for them in the necessity of preserving the project and going the best benefit of it. This also gets them in the thorough accustom, and the being used to the cooperative labour, collectiveness, and getting them in the shareware in all deeds having an aim of enhancing and improvement their condition in livelihood, better life.
3- The integrational management for the water falls, enforces the choice of projects that have in aim the fulfillment of different human needs, and wishes which really could cause substantial development in different life phenomena for all the water fall settler villagers. There also is the necessity to keep villagers engaged in a closer link to all projects having an aim of less use of under ground water, and ways of keeping it uncontaminated.
4- To take special care in Integrational management of water falls.
 
 
Jamal Sharif DOOGHRAMAJI & Maad Abdel Moujid AL-ANI: "Irrigation methods in ancient and modern Yemeni agriculture: perspectives and limits"
 
The management of the water resources in considered as one of the major strategic concerns in the development and the sustain ability of agriculture, or that irrigated one by means of underground water. Whereas over 80% of the cultivated and in Yemen depends mainly on rain water. However the sustainability of productive activity during periods rain fall becomes paralyzed & irregular according to quantity and momentum of its occurrence, there becomes necessary to study all in concern of water resource in the whole of Yemen its form and nature of extensiveness, and instructiveness, and application.
There has to be provided a criteria, a base for principle information of demands of water for main crops plantation in Yemen according to its agricultural allocation regions after that there has to commence a study and documentation of the traditional systems of irrigation and ways and modes of its enhancing and promotion for crop productivity in recent times, and after that to introduce the modern systems of irrigation after testing them and making sure that their resistance to environmental conditions, and the socio-economical ones, in an aim of full and proper use of water resources and its full control.
Yemenis are known and were famous in agriculture and irrigation regard, whereas associated with the fact was Mareb Dam which had been constructed zoo years in a purpose of irrigating a tremendous large agricultural areas throughout water distribution. In this there has been the prerequisite care and the before hand engineering thought of water storage as well as by construction of dams and barracks on valleys plus the errection of unique terraces, all along cliffs, hills, to get the best result for agriculture practicum together with irrigational tactical use around hills, mountains gorges and plateaus.
This study gives a summary of resources, lands and water in Yemen, their features and limitations and also gives the directions for further study of system in the traditional ethnic irrigation indications and proofs are the terraces system, and the different canals branched from valleys, which together recently are known as means by which water of rain full is irradiated and stored, polarized before being distributed. This study is concentrating on the necessity of documentations and the publications for these details about the above systems, which indeed had been based on and emerged as per due conventional knowledges and verbal unwritten legislations agreed amongst ancient people. It is successively worth to bring up and enclose innovation and the new systems enhancing and promoting these the previous traditional, all according to the twenty first century standards.
The second part of the study above gives, and undertakes some of the agricultural systems. The second part of the study deals with certain of the irrigations systems of the recent times being applied, implemented universally and in Arab region. The futures, and limitations of these systems and ways of linking them with the best of it with each other to the Yemeni agriculture on repeatedly tests and the develop in its application.
The study ends with a total round up of conclusions and recommendations. Some of the latter is our stress and putting significant consideration to fact that the success and the develop, and proceed of agricultural, the sustainability in water application and use could not be fulfilled, could not be realized by importing modern irrigation systems and implementing in complete. It has to linked with the other components such as with the remaining, soil, water, suitable cultivation, seeds application, type of high standard, and draught proof/resistance seeds. The schedule of irrigation, other related services in fertilization, combating pests toxins, illnesses the labour experienced power high skills, etc.