Agricultural Development Projects Research Articles

SMART Anthropology in Agricultural Development Projects: A Framework Toward Developing a More Appropriate Survey

SMART Anthropology in Agricultural Development Projects: A Framework Toward Developing a More Appropriate Survey

Impact of a large-scale fruit and vegetable irrigation scheme on the micro-epidemiology of malaria in southwest Ethiopia

BackgroundMalaria continues to represent an important public health problem in Ethiopia. The expansion of irrigated agricultural development projects turns out to be a major impediment to long-lasting and sustainable malaria prevention and control efforts in the country. The aim of this study was to determine the micro-epidemiology of malaria and associated risk factors in and around Gojeb Horizon Irrigation Plantation in southwest Ethiopia.MethodsA community-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June 2018 in Gimbo District, southwest Ethiopia. A total of 186 households (94 from irrigated village and 92 from non-irrigated village) were randomly selected from among the communities living around the Gojeb Horizon plantation. In total, 718 individuals (368 from irrigated village and 350 from non-irrigated village) were recruited from the selected households. A finger-prick blood sample was obtained from each participant. Socio-demographic data from the households and individual study participants were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Multivariate regression was used to assess factors associated with micro-epidemiology of malaria. P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsThe prevalence of malaria in irrigated and non-irrigated villages was 8.2% and 3.4%, respectively. Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax and mixed infections accounted for 57.1%, 38.1%, and 4.8% of the cases, respectively. Individuals living in the irrigated villages were 2.53 (95% CI: 1.23–5.20) times at higher risk of Plasmodium infection as compared to those living in the non-irrigated village. Age (AOR = 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01–1.06) and non-use of long-lasting insecticidal net (AOR = 2.72, 95% CI: 1.03–7.22) were co-predictors of malaria infection in the area.ConclusionThis study revealed that communities living in irrigation village were at a higher risk of Plasmodium infection than those living in non-irrigated village, which necessitates the development of tailored interventions that are both targeted and customized.

Commercial Agriculture and Youth Poultry Egg Farmers’ Efficiency in Nigeria

Low egg production is one of the many factors that challenge the growth of the Nigerian poultry industry and particular attention has not been paid to youth involvement in commercial poultry egg production. Using data from 181 sampled farmers, this study used Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to investigate whether the impact of the concluded Commercial Agriculture Development Project was sustainable, even three years after its closure in Nigeria. Farmers who participated in the project recorded 7.6%-21.0% increases in profit and a slight (0.1%-0.7%) decrease in technical efficiency. Comparing determinants of profitability between youth and non-youth farmers, show that price per crate and egg production quantity recorded more positive effects on the profitability of youth farmers while feed price had a more negative effect on the profitability of non-youth farmers. On the determinants of Technical Efficiency (TE) between youth and non-youth farmers, although years of education decreased the TE of both groups, the effect was greater among youth farmers, while egg production was significant and positive for both groups, the effect was greater for non-youth farmers. Also, the number of birds, feed quantity, and price per crate had negative effects on TE for youth farmers only, while years of experience although negative was significant for only the non-youth group. Overall, youth farmers recorded more significant positive effects on profit than non-youth farmers and less significant positive effects on TE. Overall, our results suggest scaling-up or expanding commercial agriculture interventions to farmers, especially youth. Our finding further highlights the need for training/capacity-building and extension services for youth farmers as this will bridge the gaps of inexperience that are contributory to TE of non-youth farmers.

Determinants of Credit Constraint among Smallholder Farmers’ Co-Operators in Oyo State, Nigeria

Credit constraint (CC) has been identified as one of the factors that diminish the production efficiency of farmers. Although Multipurpose Cooperative Societies (MCS) have been identified as an avenue to reduce (CC) among farmers, (CC) persists. Thus, the effectiveness of (MCS) in credit delivery and the determinant of (CC) of co-operators were examined. A four-stage sampling procedure was used where Oyo State was purposively selected based on high numbers of registered Agricultural Cooperative Societies. One block was selected from each zone of the four Agricultural Development Project zones. Two cells were randomly selected from each block. Multi-purpose cooperative societies from each of the cells were randomly selected. Co-operators were randomly selected proportionate to size and in all, 200 respondents were randomly selected. Co-operators access credit, inputs, tractors, market information and processed their produce by (MCS). Female co-operators were more credit constraint than their male counterparts. Education, default history farming experience, monthly contributions and dependency ratio were the determinants of credit constraint. Default history has the highest impact in determining credit constraint of co-operators, therefore conscious effort is needed by co-operators to avoid it occurrence. Credits should be made available to farmers through cooperative societies to enhance their efficiency

Leveraging atmospheric moisture recycling in Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries for irrigation and afforestation planning

Effective irrigation planning is crucial for sustainable agricultural development and ecosystem restoration projects in arid regions. With respect to ambitious greening initiatives, Saudi Arabia is establishing a national strategy toward a more sustainable and eco-friendly future not only for itself but also for the broader Middle East region. Thus, comprehensively understanding the water cycle in the region is essential to identify the most suitable target locations for afforestation and reforestation while considering the potential role of irrigation. Herein, in addition to traditional pedoclimatic factors, we introduce a complementary consideration—“irrigation recycling.” Building on the well-established concept of atmospheric moisture recycling and taking advantage from an atmospheric trajectory dataset, we track the path of evaporated water from current or potential irrigated sites to the location where the evaporated water eventually falls as precipitation. Our analysis offers two key benefits. First, it helps pinpoint the regions in which and the periods during which water recycling is maximum within the country, aiding more precise calculations of the investment return value for irrigation infrastructures. Second, it helps identify the land-use change patterns that contribute to international efforts such as drought mitigation in East Africa as an example. We found that one-third of the actual precipitation in the current Saudi irrigated sites originated from evapotranspiration over land, mainly from Saudi Arabia and surrounding countries. Interestingly, most of the evapotranspiration from these irrigated sites will eventually fall somewhere over land (primarily in Iran). Controlling the seasonality and spatial distribution of the future irrigation expansion will allow controlling the atmospheric moisture recirculation in Saudi Arabia and nearby drought-prone regions such as Eastern Africa. The outcomes of this study will be the subject of future integrated assessments to account for the climatic feedbacks of the land-use change scenarios. At present, they provide crucial insights to support the decision-making process surrounding the Saudi and Middle East Green Initiatives. Further, the presented methodology offers a pragmatic framework that can be applied to similar greening projects for other regions, making it a viable and valuable approach for global sustainability programs.

Bessie Head’s absorbent poetics: Lessons from co-operative farming in Botswana

In her autobiographical novel, A Question of Power (1973), Bessie Head identified a dialectical bind in the language and imagery of decolonial and nationalist movements across Africa at the time. I contrast the novel’s treatment of such language with Head’s observations of the agricultural development projects in which she participated during her time in Botswana, which are distinguished by a relational responsiveness across difference, reflected in their responsiveness to the natural environment. Her involvement as a participant-observer, I argue, allowed Head to develop a unique Afrocentric philosophy and poetics, distinct from and often at odds with the language and ethos of campaigns for national liberation. This poetics is what I term “absorbent”: defined by its capacity for sustaining and responding to difference. However, although Head attempted to transcend the dialectical discourse of nationalism, I show that this effort towards transcendence sometimes risked intellectual deflection, which ultimately reinforced a conservative model of global politics and economics.

Enhancing agency and empowerment in agricultural development projects: A synthesis of mixed methods impact evaluations from the Gender, Agriculture, and Assets Project, Phase 2 (GAAP2)

Development interventions increasingly include women’s empowerment and gender equality among their objectives, but evaluating their impact has been stymied by the lack of measures that are comparable across interventions. This paper synthesizes the findings of 11 mixed-methods impact evaluations of agricultural development projects from South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa that were part of the Gender, Agriculture, and Assets Project, Phase 2 (GAAP2). As part of GAAP2, qualitative and quantitative data were used to develop and validate the multidimensional project-level Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (pro-WEAI), which was used to assess the impact of GAAP2 projects on women’s empowerment. This paper assesses the extent to which: (1) a two- to three-year agricultural development project can contribute to women’s empowerment; and (2) a suite of methods comprising a standardized quantitative measure of women’s empowerment and a set of qualitative protocols, can evaluate such impacts. Our synthesis finds that the most common positive significant impacts were on the instrumental and collective agency indicators that comprise pro-WEAI, owing to the group-based approaches used. We found few projects significantly improved intrinsic agency, even among those with explicitly stated objectives to change gender norms. Unsurprisingly, we find mixed, and mostly null impacts on aggregate pro-WEAI, with positive impacts more likely in the South Asian, rather than African, cases. Our results highlight the need for projects to design their strategies specifically for empowerment, rather than assume that projects aiming to reach and benefit women automatically empower them. Our study also shows the value of a suite of methods containing a common metric to compare empowerment impacts and qualitative protocols to understand and contextualize these impacts.

Action Research in Agricultural Development Projects: Case Study of a Dairy Project in Ethiopia

AbstractFor development projects, an action research approach is often encouraged to enhance participation of end-users or beneficiaries at various stages of the project to realize the desired social transformation in the target communities. The project under consideration in this study adopted action research for some of its activities. A review of the project action research activities was conducted as part of the strategic reflection for lesson learning and to inform modification where necessary. The objectives of this study were (i) to assess the relevance of action research approach to implementation of project activities and, (ii) to draw lessons for agricultural development projects applying participatory approaches. Fifty-one participants involved in the project action research activities were interviewed on their understanding of action research, its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and level of participation in action research activities. The perception of the participants interviewed regarding action research approach was that it is relevant and important for the project, and that it has provided a good platform for learning by all participants. Some key lessons from this study for development projects when applying action research approach include the need to focus on a limited number of issues or activities that can produce social transformation in the target communities, and the necessity of adequate planning for monitoring and documentation of learning by participants. From our study, action research is a pertinent approach in community development projects, but it should be well-planned to achieve the desired objective of social transformation in the target communities.

Obstacles of conflicts on banana production and marketing in the agricultural development project of Merka district in Lower Shabelah region, south Somalia

The purpose of this study is to investigate the economic impact of the decline in banana exports in the Merka district, Somalia. Bananas and their business constitute the backbone of Somalia's economy, being the second most crucial component after livestock. Various reasons, including the civil war in Somalia and poor security, led banana companies to cease exporting, resulting in a significant economic impact on Somali society. The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional survey approach, distributing a designed questionnaire to the target population comprising 60 banana experts, farmers, economists, and other exporters. The researchers used the Slovenian formula to determine a sample size of 52 individuals and employed a non-probability purposive sampling method. For data analysis, descriptive statistical analysis with mean and standard deviation was conducted using the SPSS application version 16. According to the study's results, the majority of respondents, 69.2 per cent, attributed the fall in banana exports to a lack of security. Similarly, 48.1 per cent of respondents attributed the decline to inappropriate marketing. Additionally, 36.5 per cent of respondents agreed that the lack of infrastructure was the cause, while 42.3 per cent attributed it to the absence of government facilities. I strongly agree with this assessment. Finally, 30.8 per cent of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed that land conflicts were responsible for the decline in banana exports in Merka, Somalia. The researchers recommended enhancing security in banana plantation areas, modernising existing markets and exploring new ones, incentivising local production and improving infrastructure, particularly roads connecting plantations to markets.

Endogenous measures for stifling corruption within selected agricultural and food development projects in Benue State, North Central, Nigeria

Due to the increasing cases of failed agricultural intervention projects in Benue State, as a result of corruption and sharp practices, this study was carried out to investigate the effect of endogenous measures used for stifling corruption within selected agricultural intervention projects in Benue State, North Central, Nigeria. key players' attitudes toward stifling corruption were also studied. Agriculture is the mainstay of the Benue State populace, but regrettably, this sector has deteriorated, and it is barely an agent of development and empowerment because of the effect of corruption on it. A preliminary survey was carried out to identify and ascertain the existence of endogenous measures employed in stifling corruption in the three local government zones (A, B, and C) of Benue State. Consequently, zone ‘C’ was randomly selected. A total of 129 respondents from all of the selected agricultural intervention projects in the zone were used. Focus Group Discussions (FGD), In-depth interviews (IDIs) with key players, and structured questionnaires were used to collect data. The dimension of sharp practices in the selected agricultural development projects was more pronounced in allocating agricultural supplies to the farmers and less pronounced in bribery, influence peddling, pricing, and duty abandonment. FGD and IDIs with key players revealed that Ekaa or Okpa (oath taking), Aolode (local vigilante), Echi (protective charms), public denouncement, tying of palm frond leaves, Enumajeje (Mucuna pruriens), withdrawal of project from the community, and Onyonkpo (village cult) were the endogenous measures deployed to stifle corruption in the selected agricultural development projects. These various endogenous measures deployed by some key players of the selected agricultural development projects to curb sharp practices significantly prevented intended culprits from indulging in deviant behavior for fear of its instant judgment on culprits. It is recommended based on the findings that endogenous measures should be encouraged to complement the government's efforts and the crude aspects of the measures conflicting with natural justice should be ejected.

Forest and Natural Vegetation Cover Loss Over 2000 to 2020 in Sri Lanka; A Canopy Density Base Analysis

As one of the most important biodiversity hotspot, forest and natural vegetation areas play an essential role in the global ecosystem. It provides an uncountable number of ecosystem services while controlling the adverse impacts of climatic changes. With the expansion of civilization and fulfilling the infinite needs of man, forests and natural vegetation areas were destroyed, especially for agricultural purposes, development projects and timber. Due to this, the accelerated growth of deforestation and loss of natural vegetation can be observed in Sri Lanka in the past few decades. This study aimed to identify the forest and natural vegetation area loss from 2000 to 2020 with a particular focus on the Canopy Density (CD) of tree cover (&gt;25%, &gt;50% and &gt;75%) in Sri Lanka. The satellite estimated data (30 mx30 m resolution) was downloaded from the 2000 to 2020 time period from the Global Forest Watch (GFW) online platform conducted by the World Resource Institute were used. Spatial and temporal changing patterns of the forest and natural vegetation areas have been identified using descriptive analysis methods (percentage) using MS Excel 2019 software. Results of the study found that in 2000, 61.38 percent of the country was covered with above 25% tree cover CD, while 53.86 percent and 39.76 percent of areas have covered with the tree cover CD above 50% and 75%, respectively. However, when it has come to 2020, these areas have decreased by 52.78 percent (&gt;25% CD), 44.27 percent (&gt;50% CD) and 28.65 percent (&gt;75% CD). During this period, 8.6 percent (&gt;25% CD), 9.59 percent (&gt;50% CD) and 11.11 percent (&gt;75% CD) of the forest and natural vegetation areas of Sri Lanka have lost the country. Throughout this period, 2016 can be identified as a year at risk for deforestation due to its annual deforestation rate (&gt;8.8 percent). The total area of forest cover lost in 2016 is 17799 ha (&gt;25% CD), 15583 ha (&gt;50% CD) and 9865 ha (&gt;75% CD). This is nearly 13 percent of forest cover loss for all three types of CD tree cover areas. According to the calculations of the forest areas that have &gt;75% of CD, Anuradhapura (12.06%), Kurunegala (9.82%), and Monaragala (8.49%) districts are the areas that contributed to forest cover loss in the country during 2000 to 2020. According to the study, the annual deforestation rate is still very high. Hence should be needed to monitor and take action to stop deforestation and achieve sustainability in natural resource management in Sri Lanka. &#x0D; Keywords: Deforestation, Canopy density, Tree cover, Natural resource management, Sri Lanka

Training Needs of Rural Women in Agriculture for Increased Crop Production in Ebonyi State

The study focused on the Training needs of Rural Women in Agriculture for increased Crop Production in Ebonyi State. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. Survey research design was adopted. The population for the study was 240 which comprised 150 registered female farmers and 90 extension agents in the three Agricultural Zones in the State. There was no sampling due to the manageable size of the population. Structured questionnaire containing a total of 21 items was the instrument for data collection. The questionnaire was validated by three experts, two in Agricultural Education and one in Measurement and Evaluation all in Faculty of Education Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu. The reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient method. A correlation of 0.76 was obtained. A total of 240 copies of the questionnaire were distributed by the researcher and three research assistants. All the 240 copies of the questionnaire distributed were properly filled and used for data analysis. Mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the data collected while t- test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance at the appropriate degree of freedom. Findings among others was that women have difficulties in accessing farmland, improved seeds, chemicals for weed, pests and diseases control, Low level of basic education, lack of female extension agents to train them and it was recommended among others that land allocation should be reviewed to enable women have land for farming. They should be an organized training programme for women farmers by Ebonyi State Agricultural Development project.

Government and Non-Governmental Organisation Led Agricultural Development Projects and the Accumulation of Social and Economic Capitals in Mezam, Cameroon

Government (GO) and Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) undertake agricultural development projects especially in Sub-Saharan Africa where agriculture-dependent livelihoods are predominant. Agricultural development has been accompanied by a theoretical debate vis-à-vis who is best placed to steer the process. Unfortunately, empirical evidence to refute or ramify the theoretical contestations are extremely limited. This article contributes to the literature by comparatively analyzing the effects of GO) and NGO–led agricultural development projects on social and economic capitals in Cameroon. Mixed methods were applied on stakeholders of four selected GO-led and four NGO-led development projects in Mezam division in the North West region of Cameroon, chosen due to its long history of having both GO and NGO-led agricultural development projects. A structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from randomly selected 180 beneficiaries, including 90 from GO and 90 from NGO projects, and 120 project staff that is 15 (2 top, 5 middle and 8 lower management) per retained organization. Recall was applied to construct before-after comparisons with interviewees, in the absence of baseline information. In-depth interviews and observations were done with selected project staff and beneficiaries, respectively. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS version 25.0, while qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis. Results show significant increase in the growth of social and economic benefits for respondents from both GO and NGO-led projects (p &lt; 0.05), though higher for NGO-led projects. The study concludes that agricultural development by both organizational types can enhance social and economic development. Further studies are needed to ramify these results. Comparative analyses between project staff and beneficiaries can highlight any differences in them, in terms of perceptive and actual impacts of GO and NGO-led agricultural projects on social and economic capitals. Comprehensive assessments based on all livelihood capitals are recommended to ground these contentions.

Project Financing and Success of Agricultural Development Projects in Rwanda, Case of Business Development Fund

Project Financing and Success of Agricultural Development Projects in Rwanda, Case of Business Development Fund

Finding climate smart agriculture in civil-society initiatives

International civil society and non-government organisations (NGOs) play a role in implementing agricultural projects, which contribute to the mitigation, adaptation, and food security dimensions of climate-smart agriculture (CSA). Despite the growth of CSA, it remains unclear how CSA is designed, conceptualised, and embedded into agricultural development projects led and implemented by NGOs, creating a lack of clarity as to the direction of future of agricultural development interventions. This paper examines the extent to which development programmes from the NGO sector actively incorporate CSA principles to benefit smallholder farmers under the major pillars of CSA. Drawing from six projects’ documentation since 2009, we conducted a thematic analysis to reveal the alignment of projects with the pillars of CSA and discuss the extent to which CSA allows for localised adaptability given the diverse agricultural contexts in which civil society and NGOs work. We find that despite a lack of clarity in CSA definition and focus, the agricultural practices in the six projects make heterogenous contributions to the adoption of CSA principles. We illustrate the diversity of ways in which CSA is ‘done’ by a global NGO across six areas: greening and forests, practices and knowledge exchange, markets, policy and institutions, nutrition, carbon and climate, and gender. We discuss the need for balance in contextual adaptability across the three pillars of CSA with explicit consideration of trade-offs to reduce unintended outcomes from CSA initiatives. We conclude with reflections on the role of civil society and NGOs as boundary agents in the agricultural development sector.

Seasonal determinant of expected poverty status among cashew farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria

This study investigated the seasonal determinant of expected poverty status among cashew farmers in Oyo State. Multistage random sampling procedure was used to collect panel data from cashew farmers in Oyo State. Ogbomoso Agricultural Development Project (ADP) zone was purposively selected out of the four ADP zones in Oyo State due to high concentration of cashew farmers in the zone, then based on proportionate to size technique a total of 25 villages were selectfromthe LGAs.Finally 10 farmers were selected from each of this villages. This resulted in a total of250respondents, but due to absence of 29 respondents during off-season, 221 respondents were used for the study. The Foster, Greer and Thorbecke (FGT), descriptive statistics and Three-Stage Feasible Generalized Least Squares (3FGLS) were used to analyze data collected. Result showed that 68.80% of the cashew farmers were poor during off-season, with high poverty intensity (47.40%) and severity (38.10%), respectively. During on-season, 57.90% of cashew farmers were poor, poverty intensity and severity were 38.10% and 30.80% respectively. 40% of the farmers poor in both seasons. 28.05% of them transited from poor to non-poor, about 17.65% of non-poor transited into poor while only 28.10% were non-poor in both seasons.3FGLS result shows that seasonal production of cashew and household size were inversed related (p=0.001) with poverty status of the respondents. Farming experience, age and gender positively (p=0.001) influenced farmers’ poverty status positively. Conclusively, majority of cashew farmers were poor while poverty intensity and severity increased more during off-season.

Employment Equity in the Poultry Value Chain of Commercial Agricultural Development Project in Enugu State, Nigeria

The study examined employment equity among actors in the poultry value chain of the Commercial Agricultural Development Project (CADP) in Enugu State. Seventy-one core actors (service providers, producers, processors and marketers) in the poultry value chain were randomly selected for the study. Data were collected using a structured interview schedule. Data were analysed using percentages, charts and mean scores. Results show that the mean number of males and females employed by the producers on a full-time basis was two persons each for the 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 &amp; 2016 production seasons. In 2010, the mean monthly payments for males and females employed by the producers on a full-time basis were ₦8,171.43 and ₦8,466.67, respectively. The majority (62.5%) of the producers were poor. Service providers’ perceived benefit of the poultry value chain includes employment creation (=2.00) while processors indicated sustainability of agricultural projects (=3.00). The poultry value chain approach of CADP was sensitive in their employment structure and was beneficial in terms of poverty eradication through job creation. The government should support the actors in the poultry value chain financially specifically the producers through the provision of credit facilities such as loans to bring about positive change in their wealth status.

State of the art: “social and solidarity economy as a driver of sustainability

The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the current state of convergence between Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) and sustainability, covering the period from 2009 to 2023. SSE, with its principles of cooperation, equity, and citizen participation, is considered a key tool for addressing inequality and promoting decent employment, while sustainability focuses on improving living conditions without compromising the future. The article argues that SSE promotes sustainable economic practices aligned with the 2030 Agenda. The proposed methodology combines heuristic and hermeneutic approaches, allowing for a thorough and up-to-date review of the literature on SSE and sustainability. The application of SSE in various regions is illustrated through case studies that encompass areas such as urban agriculture, circular economy, recycling cooperatives, and socioeconomic development projects. Overall, it is emphasized that the combination of SSE and sustainability offers a promising approach to addressing socio-environmental challenges, highlighting cooperation, inclusion, and the pursuit of a sustainable and equitable future.

A Comparative Study Between Organic Agriculture for Vegetables and Fruits Production in Lao PDR and the MRL Approach Used by Other Countries in the Mekong Region

Food safety and the reduction of chemical use in agriculture, in particular, are common issues that reflect consumer concerns in many developing countries. This paper summarizes the history of the development of Organic Agriculture (OA) in Lao PDR, followed by the outline of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Clean Agriculture Development Project (CADP) which supports organic vegetables and fruits production under the clean agriculture policy promoted by the Lao government. Next, the relevant policies of its neighboring countries in the Mekong region (Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia) are also summarized. The policies in these countries focus mainly on reducing chemical residues based on the Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) rather than promoting OA, which has recently been included in their national policies in response to social demands for chemical reduction in agriculture. Finally, the paper compares the approach of Lao PDR and other countries in the Mekong region. As a result, the Lao approach can contribute to improving both food safety and income generation of farmers. In contrast, the MRL-based approach has some limitations due to its insufficient operations under the regulatory systems in these countries. This suggests that the Lao approach should be taken into consideration by other developing economies where small-scale farmers are the majority.

Investigation of groundwater based on stable isotopes and major ion geochemistry in the Eocene carbonate aquifer, East Beni-Suef area, Eastern Desert, Egypt

The East Beni-Suef region represents one of the most promising areas for agricultural development projects in Egypt. Groundwater from the Eocene Carbonate Aquifer is the main source of water for such projects all over the country. This aquifer covers about 50% of Egypt. It is shallower and easier to access with low drilling costs as compared to the Nubian Sandstone Deep Aquifer. This study aims to identify the origin and sources of recharge to this aquifer to better understand the sustainability and quality of the groundwater in this region. Stable isotopes and major ion geochemistry were used to achieve this goal. Groundwater samples and surface water from the Nile River were collected and analyzed for stable isotopes (δ18O and δD) as well as major ions such as Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, HCO3−, Cl−, and SO42−. The results showed that groundwater samples varied in salinity from fresh to brackish (735 mg/L to 2680 mg/L). The major ion geochemistry revealed that the water type has evolved from Ca–Mg–HCO3 to Na–Cl–SO4. The suggested main processes that control the water chemistry in the study area are water-rock interactions involving evaporite dissolution and cation exchange. The results of δ18O and δD showed that the Eocene Carbonate Aquifer, in the study area, is mainly recharged from the Nile River and from the Nubian Sandstone Deep Aquifer at different ratios. The degree of contribution from these two end members was largely based on the location of wells from the Nile River, the water depth, and the structural setting. For the first time, depleted groundwater (δ18O = −10.16 ‰ and δD = −62.65 ‰) was recorded in the Eastern Desert, Egypt, in this research work. The assessment of groundwater quality for drinking and irrigation purposes is also provided in this study.