Summary

This report is prepared under the umbrella of the “Blue Peace Middle East " initiative. It focuses on water scarcity, the challenges this brings to irrigated agriculture, and the options available to improve water use efficiency (WUE) and, in turn, increase water productivity and crop production. The countries evaluated in this report include Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. Although Iran and Syria are not currently active members of Blue Peace ME, given their location and relevance to this review, they are included in this study. Irrigated agriculture plays a vital role in the economies, livelihoods and well-being of people living in the studied countries, but the sector is under severe pressure. More than 75% of available freshwater resources are already withdrawn for agriculture, mostly irrigation, exceeding 90% in some countries. Growing rural and urban populations, economic growth, improvements in lifestyle, and changing diets are driving water demand and have led FAO to predict that if the world continues “business as usual”, the water demand for irrigation could double by 2050. Concerns also come from migration and rural employment, the impacts of climate change on water resources and agriculture, the damage that economic growth can inflict on the aquatic environment, and the challenges of coping with unexpected shocks, such as floods, droughts, and latterly COVID-19.