The agricultural sector faces several challenges is facing the natural increase in the used water for various purposes in the future. It is adequate to show that the agriculture sector in Nile Delta used to consume about 48 billion m3 / year to irrigate about 8 million feddan even in 2010. And starting from 2017, it will bear the burden of irrigation for about 11,374 million feddan, by quantities of water amounting to about 36.750 billion m3. It imposes the need to follow policies that make sure the rationalization of irrigation water consumption. And by contrasting the current water resources with the existing water uses, it becomes clear that the current water resources are less than the existing water uses by about 16.4 billion m3. And that the development of water resources is either by exploiting the water availability resources in the best use without losing and rationalizing their exploitation and increasing the efficiency use (vertical development of water resources) or by increasing of the water available resources and increasing the economic supply for it in the future (horizontal development of water resources). And as it becomes clear of this, the proportion of what horizontal development can give is estimated at 49% whereas, vertical development can grant about 51% of the savings resulting from the development of water resources.
Due to the variation of water resources, their sources, and their uses, drawing a plan for the future use of water resources is significant which, is necessary to understand and develop many policies, including the agricultural policy, which necessarily requires a water policy. Therefore, before setting a future water policy, consideration must be taken the clear contrast between the nature of water resources and a land resource, if that is possible. So that it would be possible to direct agricultural production activities towards this goal, as they achieve one of the main aspects of the development goals and realize benefit from the advantages of specialization and comparative advantage.
Keywords: Rational use of water (RUW) in Nile delta
Youssef M. Hamada (2023). Possibility of Rationalizing the use of Water Resources in Egyptian Agriculture Rational use of Water (RUW) in Nile Delta. Journal of International Economics and Finance, 3: 2, pp. 81-125.