rather than only in the testing of technologies
CASE 2: Farmer Participatory Research in Water Use and Irrigation, Khanasser Valley
Background:
Many farmers in Khanasser Valley use irrigation to protect themselves against the risk of drought. Wheat and barley still dominate among irrigated winter crops. The irrigation of cumin is facultative, but also quite common. Summer irrigation is not generally practiced, except for olives and vegetables for subsistence. A bit mMore than 5060% of the area is now sprinkler irrigated; the rest mainly by surface methods. Drip irrigation is limited to a few farms. The salinity of a number of wells reduces potential yield. Episodically, high intensity rainfall coupled with a relatively high permeability of the soil, helps leach salts. If possible, farmers are also rotating their irrigated plots around the farm area. Previously, farmers were overusing their water resources by irrigating cotton in summer. ICARDA is monitoring groundwater levels and groundwater quality in the area since 1998.Preliminary results from water resource studies suggest that the amount of recharge to aquifers is 1875000 m³/yr, i.e. the amount of water which can be used without long-term depletion of water resources is around 4500 m³/ha, if 400 ha are irrigated, which is about the present size of the irrigated area. Previously, it was assumed that farmers are overusing their resources.
Objectives:
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To assess, in cooperation with farmers, the amount
of water they use
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To evaluate irrigation performance and compare between
different practices
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To determine the incremental benefit of irrigation
over rain-fed agriculture
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To discuss results with farmers and use this as
an entry point for doing participatory research in the 2003/04 season
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Methods:
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Establishment of a geo-referenced water use database
(crops, irrigation methods)
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Mapping of irrigated areas
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Distribution of water use forms to farmers
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Monitoring of selected farms (~ 2/village)
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Evaluation of water use forms
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Up scaling of results from monitoring wells to total
irrigated area
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Participatory irrigation trials
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Preliminary results:
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Participatory appraisal - farmer perceived constraints
in order of priority: 1. Lack of drinking water supply, 2. Difficulty
to get drilling permits, 3. Lack of credit for pressure irrigation
equipment, 4. Poor water quality, 5. Groundwater overuse
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Total groundwater abstractions for irrigation in
Khanasser valley: 800,000 - 1,000,000 m³/yr
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Percent distribution of crops by area (in brackets
by volume): wheat 50.3 (59.7), barley 19.6 (17.7), cumin 11.4 (4.3),
other winter crops 0.3 (0.1); vegetables 2.1 (4.7), olives and other
fruit trees 14.9 (2.0), other summer crops 1.4 (11.5)
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Percent distribution of irrigation technologies
(in brackets by volume): sprinkler [sp] 63.6 (48.6), surface [su]
35.1 (49.5), drip [dr] 1.3 (1.9)
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Approximate average water use per hectare (in mm;
sprinkler irrigation-surface irrigation): wheat 140-360; barley
130-200, cumin 60, other winter crops 80; summer crops (surface
irrigation): vegetables 450, olives 30, other summer crops 130
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Net income per ha·mm (in brackets per labour hr)
from irrigation in SL = Syria Lira (50 SL ~ 1 US$); in case of winter
crops incremental to rainfed income: wheat-sp 47.4 (47.7), wheat-su
47.6 (56.0), barley-sp* (*included benefit from sheep grazing) 30.9
(18.7), barley-su* (*ususally not grazed - benefit for feed economy
not considered) 1.3 (1.4), cumin-sp 14.2 (3.1), vegetables-dr 187.3
(34.6), vegetables-su 171.6 (22.5), olives-dr 347.8 (23.8), olives-su
281.5 (12.8)
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Irrigation trials: in 2003/04 (234 mm seasonal rainfall
with long drought period in spring) application near 90% of full
supplemental irrigation was most productive and profitable for irrigating
wheat; at an EC of 9 dS/m a leaching requirement of 40% on wheat
was indicated (not confirmed statistically) as most productive and
profitable for surface irrigation
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Outlook:
More research is needed to confirm these results. The focus should be on irrigation economy, water use efficiency in relation to salinity and farmer decision criteria for irrigation choices. Groundwater monitoring should also be continued to check on the sustainability of groundwater abstractions. More feedback and discussion of results with the irrigation communities and other stakeholders is required. The irrigation economy in Agricultural Stability Zone 4 is more fragile than in other parts of Syria and due to lower yields, irrigation there is not necessarily beneficial.
Literature:
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FAO, AGLW - Water Service of the Land and Water
Management Division. 2001. Guidelines for Participatory Training
and Extension in Farmer's Water Management. Farmer's Water Management
Programme (PT&E-FWM).
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Oweis, T. 1997: Supplemental irrigation: A highly
efficient water-use practice. International Center for Agricultural
Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). Aleppo, Syria.
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Schweers, W., Bruggeman, A., Rieser, A., Abu-Zhakem,
B., Asfahani, J., Kadkoy, N. and B. Kasmo. 2003. Assessment of groundwater
resources for sustainable management in the Khanasser valley, northwest
Syria. Proceedings of ACSAD/BGR Workshop on Soil and Groundwater
Quality: Monitoring, Management and Protection, Amman, 23 - 25 June
2002.
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Schweers, W., Bruggeman, A., Rieser, A. and Oweis,
T. 2004a. Water-use by farmers in response to groundwater scarcity
and salinity in a marginal area of Northwest Syria. Journal of Applied
Irrigation Science 39 (2): 241 - 252.
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Schweers, W., Oweis, T. and Rieser, A. and Singh,
M. 2004b. Farmer-participatory research on water-use efficiency
and irrigation benefit of wheat production in a low-rainfall zone
of Syria. Deutscher Tropentag 2004. Berlin, October 5-7, 2004. Conference
on International Agricultural Research for Development, Humboldt-Universit?t,
Berlin. 8p.
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Schweers, W., Rieser, A., Bruggeman, A. and Mazid,
A. 2005. Sustainable groundwater use and water mangement options
in a dry region of Syria. Proceedings International Workshop: Creating
Synergy between Groundwater Research and Management in South and
South East Asia. National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, Uttaranchal,
India 8-9 February 2005 [in preparation]
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