El Oued sustainable water use for potato production project 2017 - 2019 Short general project overviewA 5 ha demonstration farm will be set up and managed, over 4 growing seasons. The demonstration farm will be used to test and illustrate the innovative technique of underground fertigation and how it can contribute to more sustainable water use practices. The drip irrigation pipes – for this combination of irrigation and liquid fertilization – are integrated in the potato ridges by a tractor drawn machine, which at the same time throws the ridge and plants the seed potatoes in the ridges under the fertigation drip. New (climate smart) varieties will be tested and a local seed potato production/multiplication will be started. In the context of climate smart agriculture this project contributes to a) sustainable water use, b) food security and c) sustainable value chain development.Initial activities and results of the projectA number of demonstration fields (10 x 0.5 hectares) will be set up in which the alternative potato growing practices and techniques are tested in a real live situation and where the various uses of inputs are measured for their results in plant growth and plant health and in potato tuber production. The demonstration fields and the techniques used will be actively shown to and shared with the El Oued potato farmers to motivate them to change their current management practices for more sustainable ones. This will allow for a comparison between the current production practices and the alternative practices. Over the period of 4 production cycles (Autumn 2017, Spring 2018, Autumn 2018 and Spring 2019) the groundwater and rainwater (and fertilizer and pesticides) inputs in the 5 hectares demonstration plots are measured, as well as the water uptake and losses by the potato plants and the outputs/results of the potato production, both in quality and quantity. An economic water management tool will be developed in the course of the project in the form of a manual for farmers that want to start farming with underground fertigation. Guidelines and manuals for Good Agricultural Practice will be written (in French and Arabic) and a (instruction) video of the project will be made to support the farmers in their new farm management. The farmers will also be trained in the use and maintenance of the equipment and to set up a controlled multiplication scheme for seed potatoes.The expected results of the pilot project are: demonstration to the farmers of the new fertigation technique ‘in action’ and its results and advantages, information materials (video, website, articles, news), an economic water management tool, good agricultural practice by farmers when convinced by the research data and an excellent quality potatoes produced with a minimal water, CO2 and environmental footprint.What makes the technology, product, method or approach used innovativeFirst innovation is to combine irrigation and fertilization into what is called ‘fertigation’ by mixing in liquid fertilizer with the irrigation water at the five head station reservoirs according to the needs of the respective one hectare block of sandy desert soil. Second innovation is to bring the fertigation pipe underground thus avoiding an enormous waste of water in comparison with the actual irrigation system. Proper installation of the underground irrigation pipes is a third innovation in the form of one machine that combines a) the creation of the ridge, b) the planting of the seed potato, c) the roll out of the irrigation pipe in the same run and a second machine that combines, d) the mechanical harvesting of the potatoes with e) the reeling-up-for-storage of the irrigation pipe.What are the results of the projectA total of 3 cultivation periods were realized: one cultivation in which structured working and data collection were central; two cultivation periods in which the technique of underground drip irrigation and online measuring and control was compared with pivot irrigation. This is less than the planned 4 cultivation periods, but enough to deliver reliable results.The yields in the drip irrigated crops were significantly higher than in the traditional cultivation system (15 tons/ha in the first (autumn) crop and 20 tons/ha in the second (Spring) crop. The water consumption of the underground irrigation system in both crops was about 50% less than that for the pivot irrigation. The economic water management tool has not been realized due to lack of data. The data that was being collected by staff and students from the university turned out to be unreliable.