WADI AGRICULTURE FUTURE INSIGHT: SOIL, TOPOGRAPHICAL, AGRICULTURAL, AND HUMAN PERSPECTIVES IN RAHMA BEDOUIN VILLAGE, HANEGEV HIGHLANDS, ISRAEL RESEARCH PAPER

The Arab peninsula suffers from intense wadi erosion, which is been expressed by a dense net of wadis that are correlated by overland flows to their surrounded landforms (e.g. loess slopes and rocky grounds). Therefore, the study hypothesized that the wadi reclamation will affect all these correlated landforms. The following objectives were defined: Determining the influence of check damming, savanna tree plantation, and grazing on the wadi ‘Aboveground net primary production’ (ANPP) and determining the influence of wadi ANPP on neighboured area state. Two sites were studied: Project Wadi Atir (PWA) and Rahma. PWA site is located adjacent to Hura Bedouin municipality. The soil is loessial with a dense wadis net. In 2011 the area was leased to the PWA association for its agricultural utilization and conservation. The second site is located on Yeroham hills, Hanegev highland. The area is settled by Bedouin for the El-Azzazma tribe (Rahma village). Half of the area is covered by a 1-2m loess layer, while the other is exposed limestone. Two measurements were carried out to determine the ANPP, manual measurement of the herbaceous biomass weight and SAVI imaging. The finding for both methods indicates a yearly annual increase of 100-150% of ANPP. In addition, a tight correlation was found between the ANPP of the reclaimed wadi and an increase ANPP of 200-450% in the 4m neighboured areal slot. The study of Rahma reveals a positive ANPP feedback loop between the wadi shape, check dams location, and the grazing regime. The study principles may suit wadies all over the Arab peninsula.