ECONOMIC RETURN OF ALTERNATIVE CROPPING PATTERN IN THE DIFFERENT AGRO- ECOLOGICAL ZONES OF EGYPT

Abstract

The present study aimed to design alternative cropping patterns relative to actual cropping pattern to minimize total water need of cropping pattern in different agro- ecological zones in Egypt. Egypt divided to five different agro- ecological zones, to exploit the points of differentiation for each zone, and to provide the decision maker of agricultural policy an opportunity to guide them for adjusting the path of agricultural production, to satisfy the needs of the Egyptian society from agricultural crops under the limited agricultural resources, through maximizing the economic use of these resources using linear programing approach. The total water needs for actual cropping pattern in the first ecological zone reached 22.12 billion m3, while the total water needs for alternative pattern 20.92 billion m3, saving around 1.2 billion m3, representing about 5.4% from available total Irrigation water, could be used to irrigate 364.4 thousand feddan in new land, and adding to the total net income L.E. 1.1 billion. While the total water needs for actual cropping pattern in the second ecological zone was 6240.1 million m3, while the total water needs for alternative pattern 5822.2 million m3, saving around 417.8 million m3, representing about 6.7% from available total Irrigation water, could be used to irrigate 132 thousand feddan in new land, and adding to the total net income L.E. 338.2 millionWhereas the total water needs for actual cropping pattern in the third ecological zone was 5472 million m3, while the total water needs for alternative pattern 5390 million m3, saving around 82 million m3, representing about 1.5% from available total Irrigation water, could be used to irrigate 52.2 thousand feddan in new land, and adding to the total net income L.E. 83.2 million. The total water needs for actual cropping pattern in the forth ecological zone was 7628 million m3, while the total water needs for alternative pattern 7375 million m3, saving around 253million m3, representing about 3.3% from available total Irrigation water, could be used to irrigate 69.1 thousand feddan in new land, and adding to the total net income L.E. 187.7 million. And the total water needs for actual cropping pattern in the last ecological zone was 3900 million m3, while the total water needs for alternative pattern 3833 million m3, saving around 67 million m3, representing about 1.72% from available total Irrigation water, could be used to irrigate 11 thousand feddan in new land, and adding to the total net income L.E. 405 million