Providing Gazan farmers solar alternatives to operate irrigation wells and pumping systems Project Summary


The project is in response to the Gaza crisis urgent appeal to address the immediate needs of Gazan farmers who have been facing a severe shortage in electricity needed to operate irrigation wells and pumping systems and hence risking significant losses in the current production cycle. 

The project will provide alternative energy sources by supplying and installing 6 solar panels in 3 targeted areas in the Gaza Strip namely, Beit Lahia, Wadi aa Salqa and Al Shukah to alleviate from the energy crisis. However, in order to ensure maximum benefit and sustainability of the project, RWDS will design local community mechanisms and procedures to lead, implement and follow up the project. This will be done through establishing a steering committee that will include 50% women from RWDS supported cooperatives to ensure gender equality and empowerment. The various project interventions will be implemented throughout a period of six months and under three components


Component 1. Establishment of a Steering Committee for the project
This component will play a main role in the transparency, accountability and sustainability of the project. A steering committee consisting of various community players will be established to include representatives of the three local municipalities in the targeted areas, the project coordinator and women representatives form RWDS supported cooperatives in the targeted areas which will create the gender balance in this project. This project will allow women to take lead roles in planning, implementing and following up projects alongside men. They will play a focal point in coordinating the interventions between the farmer beneficiaries and RWDS. This committee will also prepare all project application formats, tender documents, MOUs, etc, select and award both the beneficiaries and the service provider for the solar system. 


Component 2: Presenting the project to the public in the three targeted areas and selecting the beneficiary farmers  

Presenting the project to the public and allowing all the opportunity to apply, is one of the main objectives of RWDS aligned with its core principle of being fair, transparent, accountable and inclusive to all. For that it is very crucial that once this project is approved, RWDS will organize three workshops, one at each of the targeted areas, carried out at the premises of the women cooperatives to announce and present the project objectives and interventions to the public.

During those workshops interested farmers will fill out the application forms to benefit from this project which will be later on assessed by the steering committee that will at the end  select and award the beneficiaries that meet best the selection criteria for this project.


Component 3 Select the service provider and install the 6 solar panels in the 3 targeted areas and train the beneficiaries on how to manage and maintain the solar panels

This will be the last and the most crucial part of the project where the solar panels will be supplied and installed in the selected farmers land. 6 solar panels will be installed, 2 in each of the 3 targeted areas. Following this process, the selected service provider will also provide a technical training to the beneficiaries on how to use and maintain the solar panels.