Economics and management of the use of different water qualities in irrigation in the West Bank

About the book: Water availability and quality is one of the most important and highly sensitive issues facing the Middle East. This book is dealt with the economic and the socio-economic impacts of the use of different water qualities in irrigation in such a way that improved and sustainable living standards of the farming population can be ensured in a study area of Al Faria’a in the West Bank. A Geographical Information System (GIS) analysis was carried out to determine land use development over time, to stratify the study area in three different water quality zones and to determine the spatial distribution of farm income in relation to water quality and availability. The potential of farming systems development in the Al Faria’a under the water scarcity conditions was analysed and a future impact model applied. The impact results shows that the use of water with decreasing quality will lead to a continuous reduction of farm income in the mixed as well as in the brackish water zone. Water allocation changes towards high valued crops, water efficiency increases and the total volume of water used on the farm is reduced. Off-farm jobs are especially relevant for families in the mixed quality water zone. Based on these results it can be concluded that using treated waste water for irrigation will contribute to sustainable income generation in farming families in the Al Faria’a basin by expanding the usable water capacity. Since several regions in the West Bank have similar conditions, the results may also be relevant for other parts of the country.