Mitigation and Adaptation Options of Climate Change in Irrigated Agriculture in Arab Countries

Abstract

Mitigation of climate change although extremely important, has little to do with irrigated agriculture except its contribution to methane emission by rice cultivation and animal manure. For this reason, this paper will only emphasize the importance of adaptation to climate change in irrigated agriculture in Arab Countries. Irrigated agriculture may depend on surface flows (from fresh water rivers, lakes etc.,); groundwater (both fresh, brackish or saline); conjunctive use of surface and groundwater or supplementary irrigation of rainfed lands provided with surface and/or groundwater supply during specific periods of crop growth when rainfall is scarce. Adaptation to climate change should, therefore, discuss: supply, demand and crop water requirements, cropping patterns and salt and drought tolerant crops, irrigation system both on the delivery and on the on-farm sides and finally the storage reservoirs and their operating rules. The major limitation of the influence of climate change on irrigated agriculture is the extent of uncertainty in supply. This difficult issue can only be overcome through intensive modeling techniques. Arab Countries are a very fragile region with respect to climate change and its effect on irrigated agriculture, due to the already scarce water resources, the high percentage of the water budget used for the irrigation of cultivated land, the high temperature climate which requires high water consumption, the prevailing culture of water ownership, marketing and use.