Maximizing the economic value of irrigation water and achieving self sufficiency of main crops

AbstractWater is a limited resource that needs sustainable management, which aims to develop and protect it. Without a proper management, water will become a constraining factor in the socioeconomic development of Egypt.Giving information on the economic value of water enable decision makers to take informed choices on water allocation to face the growing demands for all uses and drawing its sustainable future in agricultural and water policies. The current paper aims to assist decision makers in developing new cropping patterns considering the supply and demand aspects based on the efficient utilization of the water resources. It has proposed a cropping pattern which can increase the economic value of irrigation water from 0.88 LE/CM to 0.92 LE/CM. It can also decrease the gap between the national production and the imports, and increase self sufficiency of the main agricultural crops