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Analysis of the agricultural situation in Azraq Basin
Introduction
German-Jordanian Programme “Management of Water Resources”
In the context of rising water
scarcity in Jordan and competition
for dwindling water resources, the
pressure to reduce water consumption
in agriculture is growing, particularly
in Azraq groundwater basin which is
heavily over-pumped. The Highland
Water Forum aims to facilitate
the implementation of sustainable
groundwater management systems,
by enabling water users and decision
makers to enter into dialogue and
exchange views on Azraq Basin. This
should be achieved whilst ensuring
there are no adverse impacts on
social and economical well being
in the area. Therefore, it is key that
the situation on the ground be fully
understood, which is the objective
of this study. Focus was given to
the agricultural sector, the largest
water user in the Azraq Basin, with a
high proportion of abstraction being
currently uncontrolled. The suitability
of using such a large water quantity
for agriculture is indeed regularly
questioned, as it is commonly
accepted that water profitability is
much higher in other sectors. The use
of diagnostic analysis that focuses
on irrigation water management
allows structuring problem analysis,
systemising the main types of farms,
characterising their strategies, and
identifying potential solutions for
more efficient water management.
Objectives of the study
• Summarise knowledge about
farming evolution and related water
issues in Azraq basin.
• Understand and systemise the
diversity of farming systems to
fully comprehend the situation on
the ground and further consider
implementing suitable activities
to target the water problem in
the basin. Results will be used for
prospective work.
• Highlight the relation between the
different types of farms and their
irrigation practices and profitability.
The study presents:
1. Overview of the regional water
context and environment.
2. Presentation of the farming
activities and the related on-farm
water management.
3. Typology of irrigated farming
systems (classification and
description of systems types and
case study example).
4. Outline of current irrigation
practices and future trends.
5. Recommendations for future
work related to irrigation sector
to target sustainable groundwater
management in the Highlands.
Methodology and main
assumptions
59 field interviews with farmers
were conducted in the Azraq basin
from September to December
2010 according to the following
distribution:
- 14 in North Badia (out of 51
working private agricultural wells),
- 5 in Jiza 1 and 4 in Mwaqqar (out
of 16 working private agricultural
1 These interviews concern farms located close to the Azraq basin region, but extracting water from the neighbouring water basin. However,
data collected during these interviews were considered in our study as farming practices and farmers’ strategies are not influenced by
the basin which water is abstracted from.