Abstract
This study used crop budgets to assess the impact of declining groundwater levels on the economic value of irrigation water in the Wadi Zabid region of Yemen. The study found that returns to land and water were highly sensitive to changes in groundwater depths over time and the free availability of spate water for irrigation. Crops differed in the amounts of irrigation water applied and in their returns to land and water. Banana had the highest irrigation requirement, but also delivered the highest return to land. Banana’s return to water was greater than that of date palm and feed sorghum, but lower than that of mango and food sorghum.
Highlights
Agricultural irrigation is the world’s largest consumer of freshwater across all economic sectors, accounting for 90% of freshwater utilized globally [1]
The residual value method was applied to estimate the economic value of water, based on crop budgets at the farm gate
Differences were especially marked in the downstream area compared to the midstream and coastal areas
Summary
Agricultural irrigation is the world’s largest consumer of freshwater across all economic sectors, accounting for 90% of freshwater utilized globally [1]. To achieve water and food security goals in a sustainable manner, water use has to be better optimized. To advance sustainable agriculture, approaches are needed that integrate environmental, economic, and social justice concerns [4]; see http://asi.ucdavis.edu. One such approach is integrated water resources management (IWRM). IWRM is a process by which water is allocated between different uses and users in a coordinated, balanced manner [5]
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