Gül Özerol

Governing the reuse of treated wastewater in irrigation : the case study of Jericho, Palestine

Wastewater reuse in irrigation provides additional water supply for agriculture and saves freshwater resources for human consumption. Through these benefits, wastewater reuse can significantly alleviate the water scarcity in Palestine and fit to the complexity of the geopolitical context. However, the governance of reusing treated wastewater in Palestine is understudied. The paper bridges this knowledge gap by outlining the governance factors that influence the reuse of treated wastewater for irrigation in Palestine. Jericho was selected as the case study site, given its significant role for agricultural production in Palestine. Based on interviews and document reviews that were carried out using a governance assessment tool, three governance-related factors are identified: 1) weak coherence among the actors, reflected in overlapping and unclear responsibilities; 2) low extent and coherence of legal instruments, indicated by the absence of laws and by overlapping and conflicting provisions; 3) low extent of resources, such as appropriate infrastructure.

Effect of land-use/land-cover change on the future of rainfed agriculture in the Jenin Governorate, Palestine

Land cover has been changed by humans throughout history. At the global level, population growth and socio-economic development have a significant impact on land resources. Recently, scholars added climate change as one of the major factors affecting land-cover transformation. In the West Bank of Palestine, the situation is more complicated, where geopolitical constraints due to the Israeli occupation and lack of control over land resources. In the West Bank, fertile land represents 16%, 87% of the cultivated land is rainfed, 11% is pastureland and 2% is irrigated. This paper focuses on the problems of agricultural land shrinkage by time and tries to reveal the major factors behind this change. The study area is Jenin, a major agricultural area in the West Bank, Palestine. Statistical data, aerial photos and related attribute data were analysed by using GIS software. The study showed that urban growth is the major threat on agricultural lands.

Drought awareness through agricultural policy : multi-level action in Salland, The Netherlands

This chapter focuses on the Salland region of the Netherlands and presents our analysis regarding the role of governance context on the new irrigation policy of the Water Authority of Groot Salland (Waterschap Groot Salland—WGS). The irrigation policy was adopted in early 2013 by the five water authorities in the eastern Netherlands. Given the drought conditions in this region, the policy is concerned with finding a balance between the use of groundwater and surface water by farmers and the water needs of vulnerable nature areas.

European Drought and Water Scarcity Policies

Over the last decade, Europe’s drought management and policy has been characterized by a predominantly crisis-oriented approach. However, the widening gap between the impacts of drought episodes and the ability to prepare, manage and mitigate such droughts has motivated the European Union (EU) to make significant improvements that address drought management using a preventative approach.

The Fragmentation-Coherence Paradox in Twente

In this chapter, we will concentrate on the Dutch water authority of Vechtstromen, more specifically the region of Twente part of Vechtstromen. The Twente region has some 135,000 ha and about 630,000 inhabitants. Though most of the Netherlands is flat and the highly artificial system of waterways often enables to let water in from outside each region, a substantial part of the Twente region does not have this option and is thus fully dependent on rainwater and groundwater. Apart from the wetland nature areas, especially the northeast of the region is for this reason relatively vulnerable for water scarcity and droughts.

Cross-cutting Perspective on Agriculture

Agriculture is among the major water user sectors in the North-west Europe region. While the use of water for energy production, mainly for cooling of power plants, has a higher share in most of the countries in the region, agricultural water use maintains an average of 24 % share within the total water use in Europe. This chapter elaborates on the governance of drought adaptation in the North-west Europe region from an agricultural perspective. For this purpose, the elements of the governance systems that are relevant for agricultural production and water use processes are examined and their influence on drought management and adaptation processes are investigated.