Adaptation of the agricultural sector to the effects of climate change in arid regions: competitive advantage date palm cropping patterns under water scarcity conditions

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 514-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed M. Alabdulkader ◽  
Ahmed I. Al-Amoud ◽  
Fawzi S. Awad
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Date Palm ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Cropping Pattern ◽  
Scarce Water

This research paper highlights the adverse effects of climate change on the agricultural sector in Saudi Arabia and the actions taken to adapt to these adverse effects. Special focus was given to the potential to optimise the reallocation of scarce water resources among the competitive advantage date palm cropping regions in Saudi Arabia using a mathematical sector modelling approach. The results showed great potential for Saudi Arabia to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change by optimising the date palm cropping pattern in accordance with its scarce water resources and limited cultivated lands. The optimised scenario would result in a high net annual return, equivalent to about 881.76 million US$ year−1, and an increase on the water use return from about 0.97 US$ cm−1 in the base year to approximately 1.31 US$ cm−1. The optimised scenario would also provide the opportunity to reduce the allocated date palm cropping area by approximately 4% (from approximately 118,250 hectares to approximately 113,446 hectares) and to reduce the water demand by approximately 1% (from 681.06 million cubic metres (MCM) per year to approximately 674.28 MCM per year).

scholarly journals   Optimization of the cropping pattern in Saudi Arabia using a mathematical programming sector model

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 56-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.M. Alabdulkader ◽  
A.I. Al-Amoud ◽  
F.S. Awad
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Cropping Pattern ◽  
National Strategy ◽  
Efficient Allocation ◽  
Sector Model ◽  
Scarce Water ◽  
Arable Land Use

A mathematical sector model has been formulated to optimize the cropping pattern in Saudi Arabia aiming at maximizing the net annual return of the agricultural sector in Saudi Arabia and ensuring the efficient allocation of the scarce water resources and arable land among the competing crops. The results showed the potential for Saudi Arabia to optimize its cropping pattern and to generate an estimated net return equivalent to about 2.42 billion US$ per year. The optimized cropping pattern in Saudi Arabia has been coupled with about 53% saving in the water use and about 48% reduction in the arable land use compared to the base-year cropping pattern. Comparable weights was given to different crop groups by allocating about 48.4%, 35.4%, 13.1%, and 3.2% to grow cereals, fruits, forages, and vegetables, respectively. These findings were in line with the national strategy to rationalize the cultivation of water-intensive crops in favour of highly water-efficient crops.  

Climate change impacts on date palm cultivation in Saudi Arabia

2017 ◽  
Vol 155 (8) ◽  
pp. 1203-1218 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. ALLBED ◽  
L. KUMAR ◽  
F. SHABANI
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Potential Distribution ◽  
Date Palm ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Temperature Threshold ◽  
Climatic Parameters ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

SUMMARYDate palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is an important cash crop in many countries, including Saudi Arabia. Understanding the likely potential distribution of this crop under current and future climate scenarios will enable environmental managers to prepare appropriate strategies to manage the changes. In the current study, the simulation model CLIMEX was used to develop a niche model to estimate the impacts of climate change on the current and future potential distribution of date palm. Two global climate models (GCMs), CSIRO-Mk3·0 and MIROC-H under the A2 emission scenario for 2050 and 2100, were used to assess the impacts of climate change. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to identify which model parameters had the most effect on date palm distribution. Further refinements of the potential distributions were performed through the integration of six non-climatic parameters in a geographic information system. Areas containing suitable soil taxonomy, soil texture, soil salinity, land use, landform and slopes of <7° for date palm were selected as suitable refining variables in order to achieve more realistic models. The results from both GCMs exhibited a significant reduction in climatic suitability for date palm cultivation in Saudi Arabia by 2100. Climate sensitivity analysis indicates that the lower optimal soil moisture, cold stress temperature threshold and wet stress threshold parameters had the most effect on sensitivity, while other parameters were moderately sensitive or insensitive to change. The study also demonstrated that the inclusion of non-climatic parameters with CLIMEX outputs increased the explanatory power of the models. Such models can provide early warning scenarios for how environmental managers should respond to changes in the distribution of the date palm in Saudi Arabia.

scholarly journals Planning and Management of Water Resources in the Context of Economic Devlopment and Climate Change in Algerian Highlandsby the WEAP Model, Case of the Gareat El Tarf Basin (Northwestern Algeria)

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 200-215
Author(s):  
Naouel Dali
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Weap Model ◽  
Model Case ◽  
Planning Software ◽  
Economic Constraints ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Pressure On Water Resources ◽  
National Water

Abstract Water in the Gareat El Tarf basin, is affected by climatic and economic constraints; while its development is based on the agricultural sector, which creates pressure on water resources. The objective of this study is to analyse the performance of the national water plan to accompany this policy, and the impact of climate change on water resources. The methodology adopted is the application of the WEAP(Water Evaluation and the Planning)software, in order to build a model for the allocation of water resources, up to 2050. The results obtained confirm that the impact of the economic policy shows a very important deficit that exceeds 400 million m3 in 2050. To face this challenge, it is recommended to adopt an economic strategy based on the protection of water resources and adapted to the supply capacities of renewable water resources.

scholarly journals THE DYNAMIC OF WATER RESOURCES IN NORTH-EASTERN MOROCCO BETWEEN REALITY AND EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE : CASE OF THE TARIFA PLAIN

2021 ◽  
Vol 03 (06) ◽  
pp. 38-47
Author(s):  
Mustapha BENASQUAR ◽  
Ghazi ABDELKHALEK
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Climatic Changes ◽  
Global System ◽  
Natural Factors ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Eastern Morocco ◽  
Precipitation And Temperature

The issue of climate change today has become one of the issues that receive increasing attention on the part of the global system, due to its disastrous effects at all levels, and this is due to human and natural factors, including the southern bank of the Mediterranean which has not been excluded from, especially the Tarifa Plain in the far northeast of Morocco, which is one of the most important irrigated areas in the country due to its great contribution to agricultural production and its reliance on achieving economic and social development in the region. However, its climate during the last six decades has witnessed clear variations in the rates of precipitation and temperature, whether annual or monthly, or even seasonal and daily. This increases the severity of the climatic drought, which in turn affects water resources. Therefore, it is imperative that great efforts must be made to limit the effects of these changes in light of the excessive depletion of water in the agricultural sector. Through this intervention, we aim to highlight the climatic changes that occurred on the Tarifa Plain, and their repercussions on its water resources, and how to adapt these changes to achieving sustainable development for the studied area.

Part III The Major Cases and Controversies: A Survey of State Practice, 7 Selected Case Studies

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
McCaffrey Stephen C
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
National Interest ◽  
Good Effect ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Drainage Basins ◽  
State Practice ◽  
Scarce Water

This chapter provides descriptions of past or present controversies between states concerning non-navigational uses of international watercourses. Some of the controversies considered have been settled while others are ongoing and show no signs of an imminent resolution. Eight of the eighteen drainage basins examined are now governed by treaties dealing with the problem that gave rise to the dispute in question. In all of the cases reviewed, the disputes were matters of high national interest, engaging the attention of government officials, diplomats, and scholars alike. Indeed, several of the controversies were brought before the United Nations, usually with good effect. Ultimately, some of the basins will probably receive increasing international attention as expanding populations, climate change, and upstream development efforts combine to place further demands on already scarce water resources.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Irrigation Water Resources Availability and Climate Change Impacts—A Case Study of Mwea Irrigation Scheme, Kenya

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 2330
Author(s):  
George Akoko ◽  
Tasuku Kato ◽  
Le Hoang Tu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
The United States ◽  
Climatic Data ◽  
Cropping Pattern ◽  
Irrigation Scheme ◽  
Water Deficits ◽  
Water Resources Availability

Rice is an important cereal crop in Kenya, where it is mainly grown in the Mwea Irrigation Scheme, MIS. The serious challenges of MIS include low water use efficiency and limited available water resources. The objective of this study is to analyze the current and future irrigation water resource availability for the improvement of future water management. A Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), a public domain software supported by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service in Bushland, TX, USA, was used to estimate the current and future water resources availability from the MIS’s main irrigation water supply sources (River Thiba and River Nyamindi). CropWat, a computer program developed by the Land and Water Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Rome, Italy, was used to estimate irrigation water requirements from 2013–2016 and into the future (2020–2060 and 2061–2099). Future climatic data for total available flow and irrigation requirement estimations were downloaded from three General Circulation Models (GCMs). The data was bias corrected and down-scaled (with observed data) using a Climate Change Toolkit, a toolkit for climate change analysis developed by the Water Weather and Energy Ecosystem, Zurich, Switzerland. The results indicated that the highest irrigation water deficits were experienced in July and August based on the existing cropping pattern. Under a proposed future pattern, estimates show that MIS will experience water deficits mainly from June to October and from January to February. This study recommends that MIS management should put into strong consideration the simulated future estimates in irrigation water availability for the improvement of water management.

scholarly journals Economic and Environmental Impacts of Cropping Pattern Elements Using Systems Dynamics

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 1020-1032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masoumeh Hashemi ◽  
Hamed Mazandarani Zadeh ◽  
Peyman Daneshkare Arasteh ◽  
Mehdi Zarghami
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
System Dynamics ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Extreme Condition ◽  
Groundwater Depletion ◽  
Systems Dynamics ◽  
Cropping Pattern ◽  
Agricultural Water Management ◽  
Cropping Patterns

Tragedies arising from poor water resources management and planning are significantly more relevant than climate change and frequent natural droughts, especially in arid and semi-arid areas. Nearly 92% of total water is allocated to the agricultural sector in Iran. In this situation, cultivation patterns play an important role in agricultural water management. Evaluating the effect of each crop would help the stakeholders make a rational decision in choosing appropriate cropping patterns to avoid groundwater depletion as well as maintain their livelihoods. The Qazvin plain in Iran, whose aquifer has had a drawdown of nearly 20m during the last 15 years, was used in this case study. It has been modeled using system dynamics, which includes two subsystems: hydrology, for calculating groundwater level, and economy, for defining farmer’s income in the years from 1997 to 2011. The system dynamics, which included 17 crops, was developed after calibration by simple genetic algorithm and verification under extreme condition tests. To identify the economic and environmental effect of each of the crops, the system dynamics was run 18 times, removing crops one by one. It has been found that wheat plays an important role in causing a negative water balance but does not affect the farmers’ incomes as significantly as grapes. Two indicators, which included sustainable water resources and water exploitation, were employed to assess the scenarios as well. According to the results, no scenarios are fully sustainable for maintaining a steady aquifer, but scenario 1, which removed wheat from the cropping pattern, is the most sustainable and puts the least pressure on the aquifer. 

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