The Near East and North Africa region (NENA) covers 19 countries where water scarcity is one of the major challenges. This constraint is causing the degradation of important irrigated areas and limiting the increase of food production to cope with population increase.

 

Water demand management is the most suitable approach to increase productivity of the available water resources, particularly in areas such as the Near East and North Africa where most of the renewable resources have already been harnessed for use.

The supply side also offers avenues, albeit limited, such as small scale water harvesting, water recycling, particularly the reuse of treated domestic wastewater for agricultural production, and the use of low quality waters such as brackish water. The use of brackish water for agricultural production has a long history in the NENA region.

Because of their physical and climatic conditions, most countries are endowed with important reserves of brackish ground and surface waters. Some of these reserves are renewable while the rest is essentially fossil or very slowly renewable. However, little is known about the use of these resources and their management, with the exception that the prevailing practices are generally inappropriate and have led to quality degradation of land and groundwater quality throughout the region. The provision of support on suitable and more sustainable use of these waters has also been very limited.

In addition, there is evidently a need to fill this gap as expressed by participants to FAO Agriculture and Land and Water Use Commission for the Near East (ALAWUC), during its previous sessions of 2008, 2010 and recently in 2012. In particular, the need to develop guidelines for the safe use of these resources for agricultural production seems to be pressing.

FAO conducted recently in 2012 a study on Status and New Developments on the Use of Brackish Water for Agricultural Production in the Near East including 9 selected pilot countries (Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, KSA, Morocco, Tunisia and Yemen).

The main goal of this study is to carry out an assessment of these resources, with due consideration to both quantity and quality, and of the practices and experiences regarding their use for agricultural production in the NENA region. The country reports will also serve for the preparation of a consolidated profile on brackish water and their use at the regional level.

Objectives
 
The regional workshop aims at the following specific objectives:

Expected outcomes

Senior national experts in the field of water resources management and irrigation from the nine pilot countries, as well as representative of member countries will be invited to prepare the state-of-the-art discussion papers to address Good Agricultural Practices related to brackish water use for agriculture production in their respective countries (Fisheries and aquaculture are not included). It is expected to produce a synthesis of GAPs for brackish water use in the NENA region in addition to the 9 pilot country studies that will be published after discussed and endorsement.

The main expected results of the workshop will be as following:

1) Related information exchanged;
2) Data base and country reports updated;
3) Countries’ knowledge and gaps highlighted;
4) Valuable experiences and GAPs to be replicated or scaled up identified;
5) Regional Gaps for brackish water use for agricultural production initiated.
6) Increased usage of Good Agricultural Practices;
7) Increased awareness among national decision-making and technical staff.