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1 1998. Water Quality Improvement and Conservation Project - Water awareness study. Final report - Phase II. Unpublished report of a study conducted by Environmental Resources Management Consultants (ERMC), on an Awareness Project in Water (APW) being implemented by the Jordan Environment Society (JES) and the Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MWI). Funded by USAID (PN-ACE-755 101061) 114p.
(Location: IWMI-HQ Call no: P 5426 Record No: H025856)
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048256)
Irrigated agriculture in Jordan's highlands relies on overexploited groundwater. Drops in water tables and water quality, but also tougher policy measures by the government, threaten the sustainability of this activity which has long thrived on lax law enforcement and cheap desert land. This paper is based on field work in two locations of Azraq groundwater basin [around the Azraq oasis and in the northern part (Mafraq)], and first presents farm typologies which show the variability of farm gross margins and the contrast between the two zones. While Mafraq stands for capital-intensive fruit-tree cultivation on legal land/wells, Azraq's agriculture is largely based on olive cultivation and wells that are either illegal or granted permits with higher block tariffs, and has a return that is only one tenth of Mafraq's. The paper reviews the constraints and changes in land, energy, water, labor and input costs and reflects on their bearing on current dynamics and future prospects. While Mafraq is found to be largely immune to policy changes and resilient to foreseeable changes in factor prices or markets, Azraq's future is threatened by various vulnerabilities, including salinization of groundwater, rising energy and labor costs that, in the long run, are likely to be overcome only by farmers emulating the Mafraq intensification model, or accepting temporary losses in the hope of a future legalization of land and wells. Solar energy now emerges as a trump card, in particular for illegal farms which, on the other hand, are challenged by recent tough water pricing regulations that are shown to make them unprofitable. The government's resolve in enforcing these regulation is put to test and will largely decide the future of Azraq's agriculture.
3 Balasubramanya, Soumya; Kafle, Kashi; Stifel, David. 2019. Increasing irrigation efficiency in Jordan: demand and supply side constraints and opportunities. Report prepared by the International Water Management Institute for Mercy Corps’ “Water Innovation Technologies” Project. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 58p.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049502)
(2.02 MB)
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050734)
(2.17 MB)
The use of improved technologies has been encouraged to improve irrigation on farms, especially in drought-prone areas. However, farmers' irrigation decisions may be rather motivated by a desire to reduce risk of crop loss than to reduce water use. Using the case of Jordan, we contribute to the water-saving debate by examining whether current irrigation frequency is influenced by past experiences of losses due to water shortage and whether preferences for technologies and irrigation advisory services are mediated by water shortage experiences. Our data are based on a survey of 304 fruit farms in the highlands that were all using drip irrigation, a popular way to “save” water globally. We find that farms that faced losses due to water shortages in the past are more likely to irrigate more frequently. More frequent irrigators who have such shortages are more likely to prefer receiving irrigation advisory information rather than upgrading technologies, while more frequent irrigators who have not faced such shortages are more likely to prefer upgrading irrigation technologies. Results suggest that irrigation management is motivated by risk reduction, not just by water conservation. Irrigation advisory services, hitherto neglected, may be an important component of agricultural water management in Jordan.
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