Workshop on irrigation Policy  Implementation Action Plans [Archives:1999/39/Business & Economy]

A Workshop on the a policy of irrigation organized by ministry of agriculture in cooperation with (FAO) during 18-19 September, 1999. The discussion included using the modern styles of irrigation in order to secure essential food resources for the second generation.
Background of the irrigation system in Yemen:
The irrigation policy as a series of Principles prepared and submitted to the decision-makers and the planners to be approved and to take all the necessary measures of its implementation, is the key process for dealing with irrigation in Yemen.
The irrigation sector is the major consumer of water. The ones working in this sector use water with extremely high waste and without awareness, leading to over-all irrigation efficiency not more 35%.
Over-exploitation of groundwater by farmers is a problem causing decreased water pureness, seawater intrusion, and a rapid depletion of some aquifers. In the long run, depletion will cause demographic dangerous changes with negative impact socio-economical aspects in the rural areas.
The continuation of this situation will make the sustainable and economical use of water in irrigation through a balance criteria of supply and demand impossible. Agriculture production also has low yield and poor quality causing a huge loss to the national economy and deficit to food security.
Inspite of all these problems, the irrigation sector is the main productive sector in the country contribution 17 to the GDP, and providing direct and indirect jobs to more than total employment, thus encouraging the people to live in the rural areas rather than moving to cities which contain better services and more job opportunities.
Dealing with irrigation sector through numerous institutions, the lack of financial and technical capabilities, ambiguity in roles and responsibilities, and less coordination will make the situation worse. The existing roles of these institution are limited to some activities without supervision and control over the use of water. They practice some activities through programs far from priorities and problems related to development and management of water for irrigation. Some of these activities depend upon financial and technical support for the MDG and faces discontinuity after the termination of the donors programs.
These missions relate to formulation and implementation of the irrigation policy are serious tasks require the involvement of all concerned parties. We do hope that implementing these tasks will be accept and support by the decision-makers. Because they are the only way to deal with irrigation activities and problems. Implementing them will enable us to deal with the donors in a more organized and effective way and hence encourage them to get the situation much better than it currently is.
The irrigated area increased from 230,000 ha in 1970 to around 600,000 ha in 1998. This was accompanied by doubling the irrigated area from groundwater by ten folds (from 37,000 ha in 1970 ha 383,912 ha in 1998).
The main reason for this development was the support of construction spate irrigation schemes, introducing drilling and pumping technology, and availability of agriculture products markets.
Recently, small structures have been constructed (small dams, check structures ponds, É etc.) in the highlands to develop additional water for domestic, irrigation, and recharge of groundwater. The total number of these structures executed and under study reached more than 550 structures in the end of 1998. From this total, 386 structures are small dams and check structures, and only 40% of them were executed.
Farm irrigation management in the surface irrigation projects is still weak. In spite of the observed progress in farm irrigation management in groundwater basins, still it is below the anticipated level. This has reflected and led to a reduced irrigation efficiency of about 35 % with no application of modern irrigation methods and water usage technologies in agriculture.
Rain-fed agriculture was subject to misuse and the total area that depended on rainfed agriculture retreated from 1,056, 000 ha in 1970 to 678,000 ha in 1998.
As a conclusion of this report, we here can draw a conclusion out of the workshop from the short but effective statement of Mr. Mutahar Zeid Mutahar, head of the irrigation department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation: “It is always important for our agriculture sector to follow up with the plans of irrigation. The major themes of this workshop were to tackle the irrigation traditional problems. Using modern technology in an appropriate way side by side with austerity programs in the usage of irrigation are the best tools for irrigation in our country.”

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