The beautiful valley of Wadi Rum
“Also called Valley of Moon” located in Southern Jordan very close to the
border of Saudi Arabia. The valley of Wadi Rum contains mountains of granite
and sandstone rise next to valleys filled with red sand. A number of narrow
gorges, natural arches, towering cliffs, ramps, massive landslides and caverns
lie scattered across an area 720 square kilometers. The land is actually
naturally arid, due to receiving little annual precipitation and supporting
only sparse vegetation. It’s amazing that anything at all can grow on the sun
baked earth, yet the desert regions of Israel and Jordan have for years been
the subject of plentiful agricultural projects. Recently, Bedouins living in
the Wadi Rum region have become involved in exclusive agricultural projects
that are foundation to become successful. The Wadi Rum desert happens to be the
site of Jordan’s largest mixed farm & Rum Farm. Therefore Rum was
established in 1986, in the middle of Wadi Rum desert comprising 2,000 hectares
of land. However; it seems like a strange choice of location, but it begins to
make sense when you learn that under the Wadi Rum desert and stretching under
the Border Mountains and well into Saudi Arabia, is a large aquifer. In fact,
the water supply of desert nations is dependent on this single water source.
Rum Farm is actually specializes
in the cultivation of open field vegetable products, such as grains and forage,
cabbage, eggplants, figs, pomegranates, potatoes, squash, tomatoes, and several
other vegetables. The crops grown there by Rum Farm Organics are being grown by
using distinctive irrigation techniques which was used by ancient peoples of
Egyptians and Nabateans. Water is well drawn from subterranean aquifer, 30 to
400 meters deep, which is irrigated huge area of 78 hectares circular fields,
by using a pivoting ramp with watering nozzles. Special plastic “poly tunnels”
are also used to support conserve water which can deal with scorching desert
temperatures. The company’s methods are so effective which is producing a large
part of Jordan’s food supply, before being trucked north hundreds of kilometers
via the desert to the capital of Amman and other locations.
