Al-Murunah

The MENA region is the world’s most water-scarce. Surface and groundwater resources, shared across borders, are under pressure due to increasing demand and climate change. Agriculture is the primary water user, accounting for around 65% or more of total water demand. Unsustainable land management practices, such as mechanized mono-agriculture and overgrazing, have resulted in land degradation and reduced soil water retention. Climate change exacerbates these issues by increasing temperature and, therefore, water demand, the frequency of droughts and floods, and decreasing precipitation.

Objectives

The primary objective of Al Murunah (‘flexibility’ in Arabic) is to increase water security and support climate change adaptation in the MENA region by integrating nature-based solutions for water and agricultural water management. These integrated interventions, which Al Murunah calls resilient nature-based water solutions (RNBWS), are coupled with social and market mechanisms to support sustainability and transferability.

The central premise of Al Murunah is that appropriately and collaboratively designed RNBWS can enhance water and food security in agricultural areas of MENA, thereby increasing the resilience of rural households and communities. Broadly speaking, RNBWS can enhance water availability (including via improvements in quality) and reduce agricultural water demand or otherwise increase its productivity. Simultaneously, they can support sustainable management of watersheds and agro-ecosystems to benefit human well-being and biodiversity.