Assessment of the Agricultural Water Use in Jericho Governorate Using Sefficiency

Nasser Tuqan, Naim Haie and Muhammad Tajuri Ahmad
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Nasser Tuqan: CTAC, University of Minho, Azurem Campus, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
Naim Haie: CTAC, University of Minho, Azurem Campus, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
Muhammad Tajuri Ahmad: Civil Engineering Department, Kano University of Science & Technology, Wudil 713281, Nigeria

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 9, 1-18

Abstract: Addressing water use efficiency in the Middle East is challenging due to the geopolitical complexity, climatic conditions and a variety of managerial issues. Groundwater is the dominant water resource for Palestinians, while aquifers are shared with their neighbours. We assessed in this study the efficiency of the agricultural water use in Jericho, which we defined as the Water Use System (WUS), and its impact on the main source, the Eastern Aquifer Basin (EAB), using the Sustainable Efficiency (Sefficiency) method. The assessment considered the objectives’ difference between the farmers in the region and the water managers. As Sefficiency requires, the analysis also considered in addition to the quantities of the different water path types within our WUS, their quality and beneficial weights. The results highlighted efficiency improvement potentials, a substantial number of unreported abstractions and an impact of the use of chemical substances on the main source. In addition, through hypothesizing four scenarios, we demonstrated that: 1. Improving the quality of returns has a great positive impact. 2. Increasing water abstractions is not beneficial if it is not linked to an increase in yield production. 3. Precipitation rates can influence water use efficiency. 4. More careful treatment of the unwanted plants and a selection of high socio-economic value crops would enhance Sefficiency.

Keywords: Sefficiency; irrigation management; Eastern Aquifer Basin; water use efficiency; water crisis in Palestine; public participation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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