Impacts of agricultural policy on irrigation water demand: a case study of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's groundwater resources have been heavily over-exploited to achieve food self-sufficiency. The country enacted a new agricultural policy that discourages the cultivation of wheat and encourages that of vegetables and fruits. This has produced significant reductions in irrigation water demand as well as food self-sufficiency. This paper reviews the performance of the Saudi agricultural sector and presents four scenarios forecasting the new policy's long-term impacts on the use of water for agriculture. The findings show that the new policy does not support sustainable utilization of groundwater resources. Additional policy modifications are needed to optimize the combination of import and domestic production of agricultural products based on a sustainable water utilization strategy.

[1]  E. Tola,et al.  Determination of water requirement and crop water productivity of crops grown in the Makkah region of Saudi Arabia. , 2012 .

[2]  L. Breuer,et al.  Internal water footprint assessment of Saudi Arabia using the Water footprint Assessment Framework (WAF) , 2011 .

[3]  J. Im,et al.  Excessive Use of Groundwater Resources in Saudi Arabia: Imp and Policy Options , 2015 .

[4]  Arjen Ysbert Hoekstra,et al.  National water footprint accounts: the green, blue and grey water footprint of production and consumption , 2011 .

[5]  Adriana Bruggeman,et al.  Non-conventional water resources and opportunities for water augmentation to achieve food security in water scarce countries , 2007 .

[6]  K. Frenken.  Irrigation in the Middle East region in figures AQUASTAT Survey - 2008. , 2009 .

[7]  Saudi Arabia,et al.  Extension Agents' Perceptions of Sustainable Agriculture in the Riyadh Region of , 2005 .

[8]  K. Al-Zahrani,et al.  WATER IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA: SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OPTIONS , 2011 .

[9]  Reference evapotranspiration and date palm water use in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia , 2012 .

[10]  G. Straquadine,et al.  Agricultural extension in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: difficult present and demanding future. , 2012 .

[11]  Walid A. Abderrahman,et al.  Energy and Water in Arid Developing Countries: Saudi Arabia, a Case-study , 2001 .

[12]  Omar K. M. OudaAhmad.  Review of domestic water conservation practices in Saudi Arabia , 2013 .

[13]  Omar K. M. Ouda,et al.  Review of Saudi Arabia Municipal Water Tariff , 2013 .

[14]  M. Yahia.  Saudi Arabia , 2016, Nature.

[15]  G. Hussain,et al.  Guidelines for irrigation water quality and water management in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: an overview. , 2010 .

[16]  Omar K. M. Ouda,et al.  Water demand versus supply in Saudi Arabia: current and future challenges , 2014 .