Jordan Valley – U.S. Ambassador to Jordan Alice G. Wells, accompanied by Minister of Water and Irrigation Hazem al-Nasser and Secretary General of the Jordan Valley Authority Eng. Sa’ed Abu Hammour, visited on Saturday several key water and agricultural sites in the Jordan Valley.

Ambassador Wells traveled to Al-Wehdah Dam, the largest capacity dam in Jordan, where she was briefed on the history of the dam and the current water situation in Jordan.  The tour also included King Abdullah’s Canal, the largest irrigation canal system in Jordan, previously known as the East Ghor Main Canal and renamed in 1987 after King Abdullah I of Jordan.

The Ambassador also visited Sharhabil Bin Hassneh EcoPark (SHE) which is part of EcoPeace Middle East’s Neighbors Path program, which provides walking trails, natural spaces and local ecotourism opportunities.  The park encompasses the Sharhabil Bin Hassneh Dam (also known as Ziqlab Dam), which is Jordan’s first dam, constructed back in 1965.

Ambassador Wells concluded her tour by visiting the Hydroponic Green Farming Initiative (HGFI), a three-year USAID pilot program launched in 2013 that encourages Jordanian farmers to adopt technologies that significantly increase water productivity and lower costs.

“Seeing first-hand the innovations, challenges, and opportunities in the Jordanian agriculture sector has been very enlightening. This key part of Jordan’s economy will only get stronger because of some of the initiatives we saw today, and the United States remains committed to partnering with Jordan to increase water supplies and efficiencies,” Ambassador Wells said.