Is the grass always greener where it rains?

KASHI KAFLE, SOUMYA BALASUBRAMANYA

IFAD News, 22 March 2022

Intense droughts and groundwater depletion have significant consequences for both agriculture and the economy in the Near East and North Africa region. Small-scale farmers who depend on agriculture for both food and income are the most vulnerable to these effects, especially in areas that are dependent on groundwater.  

With droughts alone expected to reduce the regional GDP by as much as 6 per cent by 2050, governments across the region are trying to limit crop losses. In Jordan, for example, the government is using promotions and subsidies to encourage farmers to use “water-saving” irrigation technologies, such as drip irrigation, soil moisture sensors, and automated systems.

Yet even though most farmers have used these technologies for over 20 years, the water table continues to fall at an alarming rate of one metre per year.

So what can we do about groundwater depletion?

Why perception matters

The results of a recent study from the International Water Management Institute and Texas A&M AgriLife suggest that perceptions of water shortage, rather than irrigation technology itself, can have a bigger influence on how farmers irrigate.

The study, which surveyed about 400 commercial farms in the highlands of Jordan, found that farmers who have faced water shortages and agricultural losses in the past were 4 per cent more likely to irrigate more often than recommended, and 19 per cent more likely to use their own judgment in determining irrigation needs, rather than relying on tools such as crop calendars and moisture probes.

Perceptions like these increase the likelihood of actions that can cause more harm than good. For example, a quarter of farmers who had faced water shortages in the past said they irrigated olive trees daily to reduce the risk of crop failure. Paradoxically, irrigating olive trees every day can actually reduce the quantity and quality of yields.

See more: https://www.ifad.org/en/web/latest/-/is-the-grass-always-greener-where-it-rains-