Optimizing On-farm Water and Land Productivity in Irrigated Agriculture in Egypt

The main research objective of this project is to create overview maps in support of sustainable management of land and water resources for agriculture in Egypt, which can be realized by: 1. Multi-thematic synthesis maps that characterize agro-ecological zones and presented as an atlas. These will take into account climate variability and change impacts on water and land suitability. 2. Develop a platform and beta testing for near- and real-time spatial irrigation management support system using geo-informatics science and technology and application. This research on water and land attempts to improve land and water productivity of the main strategic crops in irrigated agriculture of Egypt under different agro-ecological conditions. Expected outputs include improved packages and methodologies that are adopted by farmers to sustainable increase  crop-water-land productivities. This will result in increasing farmer income, improve stakeholders’ livelihood and contribute to greater efficiencies in water use thereby reducing overall water withdrawals for agriculture in the Nile system.

This project includes two research activities. Firstly, verification of computer models for crop-water functions under different agro-ecological conditions of Egypt as there is a need to improve water management on-farm through the use of calibrated models for different agro-ecological conditions. 

The second activity focuses on irrigation management spring wheat varieties under contrasting planting methods to monitor crop response to different levels of irrigation regimes to determine best on-farm irrigation management.