Economics and Productivity of Water in Agriculture

This training course will target and benefit those working in water resources planning and management. Water scarcity is becoming a top resource management challenge and development policy agenda for the countries in the Middle East and North Africa region, including the UAE and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries. There are large public and private-sector investments in developing the ways and methods of alternative water resources such as seawater and groundwater desalinization, reuse of treated wastewater, and saline water. Nevertheless, revisiting and evaluating the current state of water use by the agricultural sector, the largest water user, in terms of efficiency and productivity is as important as seeking other sources of water supply. The course intends to provide knowledge of strategies for sustainable irrigated farming, application of appropriate irrigation water quantity, methods of improving water use efficiency and productivity, choosing suitable crops based on economic water productivity, and evaluation of economic returns to the water resources used in irrigated systems. As much as possible, reference will be made to irrigation and data sources in the UAE.