قياس الأثر الاقتصادي لاستخدام نوعيات مختلفة من مياه الري على إنتاجية الخضروات في وسط وادي الأردن

Abstract EN

The study aims at measuring the effects of using two different qualities of irrigation water on the productivity and the profitability of the different vegetable crops in the Middle Jordan Valley.

The study area includes two locations, the first one is irrigated using high quality surface water, which comes from King Abdullah Canal (KAC) and the second is irrigated by blended surface water with recycled wastewater, which comes from the King Talal Dam (KTD).

A stratified random sample of 104 farms was taken and distributed equally for each location.

Descriptive and quantitative analyses are used in this study.

Parametric linear programming and least squares regression analyses are utilized to estimate the demand elasticities.

The results show a higher level of profitability of water in the location irrigated with high quality water with an inelastic own-price elasticity of demand for water in both locations.

However, the price elasticity of surface water is found to be greater than its counterpart.

This indicates that farmers who irrigate with blended water have greater response to changes in water prices than those farmers who irrigate with high quality surface water.

Accordingly, it is imperative to improve the quality of KTD water due to its negative impact on crop productivity and profitability.

In addition, pricing policy of water can be used in an effective way to reduce the consumption of high quality water and for water to be used in a more efficient manner.