Water and sand: is groundwater-based farming in Jordan's desert sustainable?

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dc.creatorNaber, M.A.
dc.creatorMolle, Francois
dc.date2017-09
dc.date2017-11-01T05:46:58Z
dc.date2017-11-01T05:46:58Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-27T18:36:10Z
dc.descriptionIrrigated agriculture in Jordan's highlands relies on overexploited groundwater. Drops in water tables and water quality, but also tougher policy measures by the government, threaten the sustainability of this activity which has long thrived on lax law enforcement and cheap desert land. This paper is based on field work in two locations of Azraq groundwater basin [around the Azraq oasis and in the northern part (Mafraq)], and first presents farm typologies which show the variability of farm gross margins and the contrast between the two zones. While Mafraq stands for capital-intensive fruit-tree cultivation on legal land/wells, Azraq's agriculture is largely based on olive cultivation and wells that are either illegal or granted permits with higher block tariffs, and has a return that is only one tenth of Mafraq's. The paper reviews the constraints and changes in land, energy, water, labor and input costs and reflects on their bearing on current dynamics and future prospects. While Mafraq is found to be largely immune to policy changes and resilient to foreseeable changes in factor prices or markets, Azraq's future is threatened by various vulnerabilities, including salinization of groundwater, rising energy and labor costs that, in the long run, are likely to be overcome only by farmers emulating the Mafraq intensification model, or accepting temporary losses in the hope of a future legalization of land and wells. Solar energy now emerges as a trump card, in particular for illegal farms which, on the other hand, are challenged by recent tough water pricing regulations that are shown to make them unprofitable. The government's resolve in enforcing these regulation is put to test and will largely decide the future of Azraq's agriculture.
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/89166
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/160543
dc.languageen
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.rightsOpen Access
dc.sourceNaber, M. A.; Molle, Francois. 2017. Water and sand: is groundwater-based farming in Jordan's desert sustainable? Groundwater for Sustainable Development, 5:28-37. doi: 10.1016/j.gsd.2017.03.005
dc.subjectgroundwater
dc.subjectirrigated farming
dc.subjectfarming systems
dc.subjectdeserts
dc.subjecthighlands
dc.subjectwater table
dc.subjectwater quality
dc.subjectwater productivity
dc.subjectwater policy
dc.subjectwater rates
dc.subjectsurface water
dc.subjectcultivated land
dc.subjectcropping patterns
dc.subjectcost benefit analysis
dc.subjectprofitability
dc.subjectlabour
dc.titleWater and sand: is groundwater-based farming in Jordan's desert sustainable?
dc.typeJournal Article

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