Future Trends in Agricultural Water Management and Institutional Innovations in Palestine

By Marwan Haddad

Water and Environmental Studies Institute (WESI)

An-Najah National University

May 21-22, 2012

Outline

• Importance

• Study Area

• Agricultural and Water Management Problems

• Agricultural and Water Management Prospects

• Concluding Remarks

Importance (1)

• Agricultural sector plays a crucial role in the social well being and still provides sustenance and employment for a sizeable portion of the population in Palestine.

• The agricultural sector, which utilizes about 60% of total water resources, has a fraction of the total GDP outcome each year.

Therefore, it is important that

(1) Palestinian agriculture need to be looked at from cultural heritage angle and point of view

(2) new irrigation methods like drip irrigation are installed in order to reduce wastage of water in the agricultural sector.

(3) irrigation infrastructure should be set in place that would utilize treated wastewater

Importance (2)

Improving and/or Reforming Agricultural Water Management and Water Institutions p

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Study Area: Palestine

• Location

• Population

• Available Water Resources and Uses

• Land Use

• Agriculture

• + + +

Population

1997 2002 2006 2008 2010

Palestine 2,783 3,225 3,611 3,825 4,048

West Bank 1,787 2,042 2,262 2,385 2,513

Gaza Strip 995 1,182 1,349 1,440 1,535

Available Water Resources

Hydrologic Contribution to Water Balance

Parameter West Bank Gaza Strip Palestine

Percentage mcm/yr Percentage mcm/yr mcm/yr

Annual Rainfall 100 2248 100 101 2349

Evapotranspiration -68 -1529 -52.5 -53 -1582

Surface Runoff - 3.2 -71 -1.98 -2 -72

Groundwater

Recharge 28.8 648 45.5 46 694

Return Flow (RF) ----- RF 8.9 9 9 + RF

Overall Balance 648 + RF 55 703 + RF

Surface Water: Palestinian share in the Jordan River of 257 mcm/yr

Indicator Year

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Annual Available Water

Quantity (million m3/year) 279.9 .. 295.8 315.2 319.1 335.4 308.7 316 331.1

Annual Pumped Quantity

from Groundwater Wells

(million m3/year)

203.4 .. 196.1 214.7 223.5 241.2 225.7 227.2 244

Annual Discharge of

Springs Water (million

m3/year)

38.1 60.5 52.7 53.6 51.7 44.8 25.2 30.6 26.8

Annual Quantity of Water

Purchased from Israeli

Water Company

(Mekorot) for Domestic

Use (million m3/year)

38.4 43.1 42.6 42.2 43.9 49.4 52.8 53.5 56

Annual Quantity of Water

Supply for Domestic

Sector (million m3/year)

125.2 .. 142.9 153.2 160.2 175.6 185.5 185.2 185.2

Annual Quantity of Water

Supply for Agricultural

Sector (million m3/year)

154.7 -- 152.9 162 158.9 159.8 123.2 130.8 145.9

Percent of Agricultural

water to Total Water Used

(million m3/year)

55.3 -- 51.7 51.4 49.8 47.6 40 41.4 44.1

Land Use

• 25.5% agricultural land,

• 1.6% forests and wooded land,

• 10.0% build-up areas,

• 3.2% Jewish colonies,

• and 62.9% bare land and other uses

Agriculture

• Agricultural land was estimated at 1.854 million dunams

• West Bank(91%) and Gaza Strip (9%).

• 86% are rain fed and 14%is irrigated

Agricultural and Water Management Problems

• Agricultural Management

• Water Management

• Institutional Performance

Agricultural Management • The declining quality and efficiency of agricultural resources use • The attacks on agricultural land and its conversion to non-agricultural purposes • Reliance on import through israel and israeli agents for fulfilling agricultural

production needs (seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, irrigation equipment, and other)

• Ineffective marketing services for farmers • Lack of insurance policy for disaster and natural risks • Weak agricultural infrastructure • Helpless or inexistence of incentives • Weak extension and training services • Unsuccessful financial support to farmers • Inadequate agricultural capacities and education system • Low agricultural production and consequently low agricultural profit or economic

feasibility • Absence of a national umbrella for planning and overall supervision on the

agricultural sector • Insubstantial agricultural research, knowledge generation and dissemination, • fragile rain fed agriculture • Weak palestinian public and private investment in the sector

Water Management

• The over-pumping of groundwater

• The increase in un- licensed wells and

• Lack of water storage of surface runoff

And rain water harvesting

• Lack of master-strategic water network and infrastructures

Institutional Performance

• Overlapping and conflicting authority and responsibilities

• Incomplete legal framework

• Weak capacities for agricultural planning including policy setting, monitoring, and implementation

Agricultural and Water Management Prospects

• Human Capacities: • Private Sector Involvement: • International Community Investment and Support: • Political Situation: • Institutional Capacities: • Awareness and Education: • Regional and International Trade:

Uses

Management

Resources

Management

Sustainable

Agricultural Water

Management

Impact

Management

Sustainable Agricultural Water Management Tripod

Resource Management

• Increase irrigable land area

• Increase water availability/allocation to agriculture ( additional fresh water allocation , Storage/harvesting and WW Reuse)

Uses Management

• Rehabilitate/upgrade existing irrigation water conveyance system and schemes

• Improve irrigation management practices

• Arrange and optimize spatial and temporal cropping system

• Increase green house areas

Impacts Management

• Increase public awareness about sector management

• Balance the resource and use to maintain food supply and cultural aspects of local agriculture

• Enhance extension and training to minimize impacts

• Stop any over pumping of aquifers

Proposed Institutional Measures, Activities, or Developmental Pathways

The Issue is not only in creating new schemes and

employing more

Proposed Institutional Measures, Activities, or Developmental Pathways

Enhance existing institutions by conducting proper

training of potential staff and eliminating incapable one

monitoring the quality and quantity of agricultural production

spatial distribution and with power, authority, and funding

a system of incentives for good and innovative farmers and farming

agricultural marketing institutions

farmers investment and credit institutions and banks

comprehensive and friendly accessed agricultural and water data base and newsletter,

Proposed Institutional Measures, Activities, or Developmental Pathways

• Unify water and agricultural policies and strategies on the governmental level

• Involve farmers and/or agricultural associations in sector management

• Integrate efforts between various stakeholders to optimize the process

Concluding Remarks

• Palestinian agricultural sector developmental challenges are becoming numerous and more complex.

• Special attention, more governmental involvement, and non-traditional---dynamic policies and strategies approaches need to be adapted and implemented to ensure sector productivity increase and sustainability.

• A balanced interrelated tripod of resources, uses, and impacts management was proposed and detailed to achieve better, more equilibrated management of Palestinian agriculture

Thank You For

Your Attention