Economic aspects and water use efficiency in Elzeidab and Elketiab Schemes of the River Nile State-Sudan

A study was conducted in the River Nile State (RNS), to determine the constraints of agricultural production such as low level of productivity, high cost of production, lack of finance, low farm income, inadequate marketing system and misuse of irrigation water. The broad aim of this study was to economize on irrigation-water use in the public pump irrigation schemes of the RNS. The analysis was based on primary data collected by interviewing 120 respondents about their socioeconomic situation, crop production, credit, irrigation-water use and crop marketing. The probability proportional method used to divide the sample as 70 tenants was selected from Elzeidab Scheme where seasonal crops are grown and 50 from Elketiab where perennial crops are grown. The survey data were supplemented by secondary data from relevant sources. To achieve the objectives of the study, integrated techniques were employed named FAG program (CropWatA), a Cobb-Douglas production function, a descriptive statistical analysis and linear programming models, using the software program GAMS. Numerous sets of scenarios and sensitivity analyses were designed to test the impact of different policy measures. The main obtained results are as follows: (1) Elzeidab scheme: - The major socioeconomic characteristics of Elzeidab farmers were all of them were educated, family size ranging from 1 to 15 persons, cumulative experience in agriculture of 29 years, and average farm size varying from 1 to 28 feddans. - Yields of all seasonal crops were lower than average research yields. Potato has the highest labour requirements, but enjoys the highest labour productivity. - The credit market in the survey area is not well developed and transportation cost forming 58% of the total marketing cost, being the highest of all cost categories. - Water charges in the scheme were high. About 53% of the annual running expenses were allocated for fuel that made irrigation costs to be the highest single component of production costs of most seasonal crops. - The estimated on-farm water-use efficiency (FWUE) indicates a wide physical gab between the CWR and the actual applied water, while water productivity in monetary and physical terms was generally low. Water, land, labour and capital are considered as scarce resources, and they are used inefficiently in the scheme. (2) Elketiab scheme - The main socioeconomic characteristics of Elketiab tenants were high level of education (95%), family size ranging from 2 to 30 persons, tenants cumulative experience of 32 years average and average farm size varying from 5 to 27 fed. - Yields of perennial crops were lower than the average research yields. Citruses had the highest labour requirements, and the highest labour productivity. - Fonnal finance was lacking. Transportation costs formed 20% of the total marketing cost, being the highest of all variable cost categories. - Fuel formed 58% of irrigation costs, as the highest cost item, while irrigation cost was 18% of the total cost of production as the second highest cost category. - Water productivity in monetary and physical terms was generally low. - The storage facilities were inadequate and they are considered as a hindrance. - The situations of water, land, labour are similar to Elzeidab scheme. The study provides policy implications based on obtained results which will enable the State to draw more relevant policy framework of using the scarce resources efficiently particularly irrigation water, and that can be as follow: Intervention of the State is needed to ease irrigation-water availability, raising the tenant's awareness about the importance of water for life, resources use efficiency can be increased by implementing the optimal cropping plans resulting from the model calculations, relevant policies and incentives should be provided to produce strategic crops, improving finance institutions will enable the tenants to improve their resources use and significantly increase their farm returns and the marketing system in the State is inadequate and there is need for improvements to ease access to local and international markets