What should Jordan’s irrigation agency do to keep supplying water?

The Cost of Irrigation Water in the Jordan Valley, a WPP-funded report published this month, looks at innovative ways to better manage water in agriculture in Jordan. It looks at how to improve the irrigation system (from the supply side), and at the efficiency of water use for different crops (from the demand side). It also reviews mechanisms to reduce costs and increase revenue for the JVA (Jordan Valley Authority), and help manage farmers’ demand for water. The report’s analysis shows that the JVA needs to put its tariffs, or prices, up to strengthen its financial sustainability, but that the size of these increases can be reduced if the JVA improves the efficiency of billing and collection or generates savings, for example on electricity use. The more significant the improvements are, the lower the need for large tariff increases—the price at which it sells the water its irrigation pipes to consumers like farmers.

[Full article here | Photo by Dale Gillard]