Urgent support to Palestinian farmers The ESDC implemented an 8-month solar energy project funded by Oxfam Novib between January 1, 2019- August 31, 2019. The project directly supported 197 farmers (belonging to 30 farming families- or 240 individuals) living in Ikhzuq Musa in the Jordan Valley, AreaC of the West Bank. The project helped improve farmers' and their families access to agricultural water, specifically their farminglands located in Marj Na'ja village in Jericho governorate. The project also provided five mobile solar pumping models that served five women groups/cooperatives in the targeted area. The project helped restore the livelihoods of targeted farmers and their households who were able to access affordable water sources of irrigation in 1000 dunums of farming lands. Oxfam and ESDC installed a solar energy system on an artesian well in Ikhzuq Musa and installed water harvesting ponds and rainwater harvesting cisterns. As a result, high-cost diesel generators were replaced with solar energy to conserve energy sources and reduce electricity costs, which helped decrease irrigation water costs. Targeted farmers were able to resume farming for high-value vegetables and palms in Ikhzuq Musa. Prior to the project, they had abandoned or significantly reduced their farming activities due to the high costs of water pumping. ESDC reported that farmers paid 1 to 1.8 ILS/m3 when public electricity was available prior to the project, reaching 4 ILS/m3 when diesel generators required power to operate well pumps. As a result of replacingdiesel generators with the solar energy system, the cost of pumping was reduced to ZERO since the annual hours of sun in the Jordan Valley reached 2,861 hours-decreasing both electrical and diesel prices for farmers. At sunset (Iftar) time on the 28th ofRamadan on Saturday, May 9, 2021, and midnight June 29 2021, Israeli settlers broke 105 solar cells panels belonging to Ikhzuq Musa well 33 panels were destroyed during the 1st attack and 72 panels were destroyed during the second attack.  Settlers destroyed 105 PV panels with a capacity of 33,600 kilowatts. Currently,  the well-pumping system is operating through a  diesel generator, as was the case prior to the rehabilitation. This is costing the farmersa lot.
In a partnership with ESCD, Oxfam plans to implement the project within a two-month period due to the urgency and need of the 197 farmers and their families to revive their livelihoods and reduce farming and irrigation costs. The implementation will include an assessment, procurement, rehabilitation works, testing and operating the solar energy system.
The ESDC is keen to restart the operation of the well at its maximum capacity. Since it is currently operating at 60% capacity due to a defect in the solar cell, andcapture the full project potential. ESDC aims to directly contract the same company (Excellent company) which installed the solar system during the previous project through a tendering process. Assigning the works to the same company will facilitate the urgent rehabilitation processsince the same company delivered the works with high quality and is fully aware of the costs of needed materialsfor the rehabilitation.
ESDC will also provide the solar system with a camera system that aims to document any violence in the future. Also – supported by Oxfam, ESDC will hire a consultant who will help develop a short video to document the success achieved in the area where success can be captured by filming the farms developed and capturing farmers witnesses.
ESDC team was able to identify105 solar panels in Jericho governorate that were significantly damaged in Marj Na'ja village the energy of these plates is considered to be what feeds the well of an artesian in Ikhzuq Musa which covered 1000 dunums. the well is considered the main source of water for the farmers in the area.  To that end, ESDC intends through this intervention to replace the damaged solar panels with new ones to relieve farmers of the burden of the high cost due to the electric generator. Moreover, this intervention will involve equipping the targeted agricultural wells with a camera system to document any future damage that may affect the well or the solar panels in the future due to the Israeli settlers.