International trends
Middle East alfalfa demand creates global impact
How can dairy cows and groundwater in Saudi Arabia affect the United States and the world ag economy? By Camil Aliman
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Saudi Arabia could run out of water entirely by 2029 if its agricultural practices are not radically reformed.
n today’s global economy, resource management policies in countries located thousands of miles away can
have a significant impact on the European and American economies. For instance, the depletion of an aquifer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is likely to have an impact on alfalfa growers around the world, and consequently, on the demand for irrigation equipment.
What is the main issue?
Beneath Saudi Arabia’s vast deserts, large groundwater reserves (pooled in six deep aquifers) are located in the central and eastern parts of the country. This groundwater, which accumulated 20,000 years ago, lies at depths of between 150 and 1,500 meters. Once it is pumped out of these reservoirs, it cannot be replaced naturally.
A 2016 World Bank report on global water warned Saudi government officials and water experts that the kingdom could run out of water entirely by 2029 if its agricultural practices are not radically reformed. Eighty-eight percent of Saudi water resources go to agriculture, while the sector only contributes 2 percent to the gross domestic product, according to a World Trade Organization report.
Center pivot irrigation in Saudi Arabia is typical of many isolated irrigation projects scattered throughout the most arid and hyperarid regions of the Earth. The circles of green irrigated vegetation may comprise a variety of agricultural commodities from alfalfa to wheat.
Why is water so important?
The kingdom’s aim to become self-sufficient in agriculture and to feed its population positioned the country as an important player
36 Irrigation TODAY | July 2018
Photo credit: Valley Irrigation
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