WLI Regional Knowledge Exchange Workshop on Decision-support Tools and Models

1. WLI Regional Knowledge Exchange Workshop on Decision-support Tools and Models Irrigation Systems 23-27 September 2013 Djerba, Tunisia

2. Last year: In relation to Irrigation SystemsIraq • Irrigation, different techniques of irrigation, (supplementary irrigation and drip irrigation) wheat, maize, tomato, cauliflower, Bersim, cucumber • Determine water productivity • Drip irrigation vs surface irrigation • Subsurface and drip irrigation vs traditional irrigation - flooding

3. Last year: In relation to Irrigation SystemsYemen • Abyan Delta • They flood twice by year: winter and summer • Social and political problems • After problems, characterization of the sites and socioeconomic • Landuse planning • Transfer of techniques for the research station of Delta Abian • Output for decision makers regarding plan of agricultural use depend on flood and groundwater quality • On irrigation: Supplementary irrigation after flooding, use one irrigation supplementary to increase yield: from water wells, Pipe irrigation: surface irrigation • Cotton is the main crop; and Sesame, Banana, papaya

4. Last year: In relation to Irrigation SystemsTunisia • Irrigation water managements strategy • Field experiment on vegetables crops on drip irrigation • Soil salinization, yield, water productivity • Cost benefit analysis • How to improve water productivity through deficit irrigation, • Full crop water requirement, deficient irrigation, • Climate change impact: potato crop: calibration of Aqua crop on new version that includes salinity • Use new models in the future • Two crops: wheat and Citrus • Experimental and farmer scale: water stress, climate stress and salinity stress • Farmer scale: increase water productivity (Open channel and groundwater) • Aquacrop: apply to salinity and heat stress

5. Last year: In relation to Irrigation SystemsEgypt • Managing the irrigation schemes • Four steps: monitoring the system, looking for the data, model building and build some scenarios to improve the water productivity • Tow types of soils; new and old land, one location in each system • 240 ha old lands • 70 ha new lands • Winter crop: wheat and Alfalfa in old system • Summer crops, trees and orcahrd, alfalfa: new system • Monitor the water and the cropping patterns for two years • Scenarios based on different soil compaction • Survey and samples and soil samples • Does the farmer knows about the compaction; according to the farmer apicultural practices and their effect on soil compaction • New land: drip irrigation • Old land: surface irrigation

6. Last year: In relation to Irrigation SystemsLebanon • Surface irrigation in Qaa: two seasons: winter season and summer • Wells in north of El Qaa • Distribution efficiency • Two experiment on grapes and eggplants • Deficit irrigation on eggplant • Conservation agriculture, supplemental irrigation • Farrow irrigation for wheat • Eggplant: drip irrigation • Grape new irrigation

7. Iraq (workplan 2014 and challenges) • Water productivity (upscale the benchmark) • Grow different crops with same irrigation system – barley and other crops • How to select of suitable model for our area?

8. Yemen 2014 • Complete landuse planning • Transfer techniques to the farmer • Conduct workshop to discuss with decision makers the findings • Select scenarios and models to decision makers • Looking for models

9. Tunisia 2014 • Same experiments • Organize workshop for farmers in the field • Demonstrate or the farmer the crop practices • For citrus: Implement field experiments on deficit irrigation • Aquacrop validation on climate change • Impact of climate change on crop production • Outscaling? We will communicate to stackeholder, to decision makers to support our program. May come to the next year and beyond • Climate change: Heat effect on our production is being under study for now and then we may choose scenarios • Source of water is far: climate change has to tackle the water supply also • We have problem the salinity problem from marine water intrusion for citrus area • We have people working on the watershed scale

10. Egypt 2014 • Continue the assessment of the system • Work on the downstream: the branch canals to the farmers • Is your model is scalable to more canals • It is possible because the canal system are the same all over • We can not disseminate the model for the next year • Soil compaction: we will have good result of this year could be disseminated for the next year • Soil degradation in the old land • Water productivity optimizer model • No scaling up??? • 50% of the area is rice and 20% is alfalafa and other are vegetables • Water is not a limiting factor but it is becoming a limiting factor nowadays: economical forces: energy problem. • Farmers do not like to change the crop patterns • Change the water management to save water on farm level • Distribution of the water is the problem: upstream takes more water while the downstream farmers have water from the drainage channels • First communication with the ministry and then they will take decisions to be transferred to farmers • Scale up is possible • Data is the problem and update data

11. Lebanon Workplan 2014 • Potato under drip irrigation (mulching) • Estimate the evapotranspiration • WEAP or SWAT model • Drought resistant varieties of Tomato • Cactus for fruits • Upscaling: to watershed scale • Upscaling: require another benchmark area • WMS model on the hydrology of the area

12. Limitation and issues (specific problem or common to all countries)Iraq • Convincing the decision makers • How to provide the capabilities to the work: depend on supporters and decision makers • Security problem on the work • How WLI can help: • Support to convince decision makers • Help in modeling • How to communicate with other WLI partners

13. Limitation and issues (specific problem or common to all countries) Yemen • Security problems • Help to prepare in landuse planning • Training on GIS and modeling • Limitation of ETo data

14. Limitation and issues (specific problem or common to all countries) Tunisia • Purchase of equipment takes time with ICARDA approval • We need suitable modeling for heat, salinity and climate change: or training on modeling • How to select appropriate modeling

15. Limitation and issues (specific problem or common to all countries)Egypt • Insecurity: vandalism • WLI is asking for a lot of a reporting: no time for that (common concern for all countries) • Funding is not sure • Regional level for modeling the funds are available???? But not clear.

16. Limitation and issues (specific problem or common to all countries)Lebanon • Security problem: close to Syria boarder • Training on modeling

17. Workshops, meetings (famers and decision level) and Articles plans for next year • Need discuss with other colleagues (Iraq) • Yemen (one workshop with farmers) • Tunisia: workshop for decision makers for the north, center and south; plus one on the modeling; three publications or more • Egypt: field days 2; workshop: national scale one; one or two publications • Lebanon: 1 or 2 field days; one or two publications

18. Thank you