According to the study "The Agricultural Map in Yemen", by researchers at the Agriculture Ministry, about 85 per cent of Yemen’s agricultural land is deteriorating due to water shortages, partly caused by the widespread cultivation of qat and desertification. According to Ismael Muharram, head of the Agricultural Research Authority in the Ministry of Agriculture, 900 million cubic metres (mcm) ground water is used annually for qat irrigation. Of the 123,933 hectares devoted to qat trees in 2005, 81 per cent is irrigated by 733 mcm of ground water. “If modern irrigation techniques are used in watering qat fields, between 20 and 30 per cent of water can be saved each year. However, qat trees are irrigated in the traditional manner, whereby the qat fields are flooded, according to Abdul-Karim al-Sabri, director of water monitoring and irrigation at the Ministry of Agriculture. “By this method, a large quantity of water is lost”. He added that the ministry of agriculture is supporting farmers by building dams and water divisions for their crops of fruit, vegetables and grains. “But they [farmers] make use of these for qat cultivation,” he said.

Source: IRIN 7 nov 2007

Tags: water resources management