594.2.1 Negarims
Negarims are regular squares made of soil bunds turned from the contour to concen-
trate water runoff at the lower corner of the square. In this corner, an infiltration
basin is made with a planting pit in the center of this basin (Fig. 4 ). The Negarim
consists of a catchment area and a cropped area. Runoff collects from the catchment
area and flows into the cropped area where it ponds, infiltrates and is stored in the
soil (Critchley et al. 1991 ; Yazar et al. 2014 ). The technique requires deep soils up
to 2 m to store the harvested runoff and is mainly used for tree cultivation in dry
areas with seasonal rainfall as low as 150 mm. When used for fruit trees, it is
designed to provide sufficient moisture to a producing tree. When used in uneven
topography, it is recommended that blocks of negarims are subdivided into smaller
units (Hatibu and Mahoo 1999 ).
4.2.2 Semi-circular Bunds
This is a network of earth bunds shaped as half-circles with the tips upside and on
the contour (Fig. 5 ). They can be used for trees, fodder and to improve range pro-
ductivity. They vary depending on the crop type, soil and rainfall amounts. Semi-
circular bunds are used in areas of 200–750 mm rainfall, deep soils and low slopes.
They require even topography. The space between the tips on consecutive bunds is
used for discharge of excess runoff. The top width of the bunds is usually 10 cm and
the height may be uniform where the topography is flat. The side slopes are 1:1
although flatter sides have also been used. As the slope increases, the height is
increased accordingly from the tip to the lowest point. The minimum height at the
tip is 10 cm (Oweis et al. 2001 ; Anschuetz et al. 2003 ).
Fig. 4 Negarim microcatchment WH for trees; Negarim plot covered with plastic sheet and an
infiltration pit was constructed around the pistachio tree (Sources: Rocheteau et al. 1988 left; Yazar
et al. 2014 , right)
Water Harvesting in Dry Environments