In Egypt, in order to meet the increased food needs, two basic strategies are possible: importing food or growing more food. Egypt imports about 236 m3 water per capita per year in the form of food. Different agriculture projects were established with the aim to enlarge the cultivated area and to guarantee sufficient production of the main crops. Based on the concept of re-use and efficiency increase, it is expected that the use of scientific knowledge, international experience and cooperation as well as advanced management tools should help in the sustainable planning of the future economy. Thus on the national level, re-use and efficient water utilization have the highest priority. According to Egyptian estimates, an additional 20.9 km3year-1 could be made available through recycling water, by changing irrigation techniques and adopting water efficient crops and cropping patterns. This is equal to 30 percent of the water that is used at present.

The paper presents the global food and water situation and perspectives for the future, in particular in the Near East, and the challenge it imposes on water scarce countries. It analyses how countries react to increased water scarcity and reviews the policy, institutional and technological responses available at local, national and global levels with a particular focus on enhancement of water productivity in agriculture.

The underlying historical perception of people, in most countries of the region, that water is a free natural resource supports the dominating influence of traditional, political and social factors in the management and use of the resource. The increasing use of the limited resource in response to the increasing demands is not only reducing its availability but also jeopardizing its quality. In view of the vital importance of water for sustaining life and promoting development, appropriate policies are needed to deal with the problems of water scarcity and the challenges ahead. In the Middle-East region we certainly need continuing innovation and rationalization in our handling of water, but foremost and above all we need to develop and put into action, in countries of the region, a balanced system for the management of the resources. We must work toward a framework for management functions that will integrate consideration of the present and future, of economics and environmental preservation, of technology and building the capacities and of growth and food and water security and sustainability.

This report gives an overview of current and future (time horizon 2050) irrigation development in the Mediterranean environment. Moreover, the paper analyses the results of the most recent and advanced General Circulation Models for assessing the hydrological impacts of climate change on crop water requirements, water availability and the planning and design process of irrigation systems. Finally, a five-step planning and design procedure is proposed that is able to integrate, within the development process, the hydrological consequences of climate change.

In Jordan, the only fresh water ecosystem Azraq Wetland Oasis was destroyed due to water scarcity. The destruction was a result of water over pumping from the greater basaltic Azraq basin. Hundreds of artesian wells have been drilled during the past two to three decades. This excessive drainage of water has lead to total dryness of the Azraq Oasis except from two ponds where water is pumped daily into them. This drainage of water has lead to disappearance of the vegetation where 135 species have been recorded in that site. Most farms in the area have been destroyed and deserted. Azraq Oasis used to be an attractive site for tourism affected the socioeconomic integrity of the people living in that area. Another sad case is that the use of the treated waste water in irrigation as about 50 million cubic meters are added to the water of the Zarqa River ending the King Talal Dam.

The main aim of this paper is to address the impact of irrigation water scarcity on the socio-economics of agricultural sector and the Jordanian food security. The rapid increase in Jordan population have placed unprecedented demand on water sources. The main findings of this paper were that decreasing water supply by 20 percent will be followed by a reduction in the total cultivated area by about 14 percent . This will lead to a decrease in the total net income generated by 15 percent . As a policy implication of this paper, it is suggested that irrigated land base must be maintained in good order to sustain relatively low food prices. New strategies for water development and management are urgently needed and to continue searching means and methods to increase water supply by increasing the investment in the irrigation sector, which can increase water supply and irrigation use efficiency.