Assessing the Impacts of Agricultural Water Management on Ecosystem Services in the Nile Delta

Abstract

The objective of this study is to test and identify appropriate water and land management strategies that will increase water and land productivity, reduce the demand for chemical fertilizers, increase farmers’ income, and minimize the negative impacts of agriculture on the ecosystem. This will be done through targeted studies that: a) Quantify the impact of improved technologies on water saving and their potential contribution to increasing available water supply along the canal (head, middle and tail end) b) Analyze alternative water allocation scenarios using a river system model which is used to assess tradeoffs and estimate water that can be saved from the agricultural sector for utilization by other economic sectors, or for horizontal agriculture expansion c) Analyze the effect of outflow of water from agriculture for downstream users, and on dependent ecosystem services