Socio-economic assessment of using treated wastewater in irrigated agriculture

Water scarcity is a major problem in the Middle East. The use of treated wastewater in the irrigated agriculture has the potential to save the fresh water for the other sectors. This book is dealt with the socio-economic assessment of using treated wastewater in agriculture. The evaluation of the potentials of this alternative water resource requires a multi-stakeholder analysis, i. e. analyses on different social and managerial levels. The treatment process, as a first level, includes financial and ecological analyses of different treatment methods. The management as a second level focuses on decisions in water pricing and legislation. The third level is the farming population, where analyses include the current state of resource endowment, with special emphasis on water resources, and the contribution of the resources to the living standard. Another element on this level for investigations is the perception towards the use of treated wastewater for irrigation and the factors affecting the related decisions. The fourth level comprises the consumers of agricultural products and requires analyses of their level of acceptance and willingness to pay for products irrigated with treated wastewater. The results of these analyses in Northern Gaza allow for the set-up of linear programming models for different farming systems classes and the formulation of several scenarios with regard to the probable future use of treated wastewater. The results of impact assessment at both family and regional levels indicate the relevance and importance of including the four levels when designing a regional plan to use treated wastewater in irrigation. This book presents a conceptual framework for the assessment of using treated wastewater in irrigated agriculture.