April Workshops in Badriane: Farmer Training and Participative Game Evaluation Under the eGROUNDWATER Project

In April 2024, two significant workshops were held in the Badriane study area of Algeria as part of the eGroundwater project. These events focused on enhancing local agricultural practices and innovative water management strategies:

1. A training workshop was organized for the farmers in the Badriane study area. During various field workshops conducted as part of the eGroundwater project, farmers frequently expressed concerns related to the valorization of date palm products, the creation of agricultural cooperatives, and the fight against diseases. In coordination with the farmers, the agricultural services of Timimoun, and the University of Adrar, a training day was held at the Timimoun Agricultural Institute on April 23, with the participation of about thirty farmers.

2. On April 28, 2024, a workshop was organized to evaluate the role-playing participative game “Badi-O,” developed as part of the eGroundwater project in Timimoun. This workshop was the culmination of work carried out from February 19 to 22 in Timimoun for the game’s creation with various stakeholders. The workshop allowed participants to play Badi-O with finalized rules and roles. The workshop facilitated discussions on topics that could be debated at the national level after the game. Several proposals were put forward by farmers from Badriane and agricultural and water services in Timimoun. These proposals were discussed and refined to be debated at a national workshop scheduled for the coming months.

The workshops held in April underscored the importance of community involvement and innovative approaches in addressing agricultural and water management challenges in Badriane. The success and insights gained from these events set the stage for a significant seminar held on May 27, 2024, at the National Institute for Agricultural Extension in Algiers, “Citizen Science to Improve Understanding of Groundwater Systems”.