الفهرس 
الباب الاولOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Summary
Egypt is heading towards a water scarcity problem. This makes it inoperative to maintain, develop and rationalize water use. It also requires policy-makes to reconsider water distribution and use patterns only with a water quota of 55.5 BEMS anomaly from the riper Nile (according to the 1959 agreement with the Sudan) which should be optimized to cope with horizontal and vertical agriculture expansion According, Egypt’s agricultural policy is opposed by irrigation water availability.
This study consists of four chapters and a summary in Arabic and English. Introduction, research problem, and objective data source and research methodology.
Chapter one includes is divided into two sub-chapters the first is the review of literature and the related previous studies while the second covers the study’s theoretical framework including Egypt’s traditional and non traditional water resources, future water resources, horizontal expansion plans and some major project such as South valley development project, 2. 4 million feddans representing 91.6% of the total area to be reclaimed using the Nile water and 29 thousand feddans representing 3.7% of the total area reclaimable, using the local water resources under of groundwater and rainfall harvesting.
Chapter three composed of three sub chapters, the first composed the study sample, rationale behind the
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second deals with soil and ground water resources and soil and water analysis the third reviews the total area under cultivation in North Sinai, irrigation water sources and the prevailing cropping pattern.
Chapter four includes four-sub chapter. The first cover the statistical evaluation of production functions of the crops grown in the studied area. The involved variables include irrigation water, N and K fertilizers and manure assess their impact on total production per feddan. Production functions have been calculated in their mathematical forms, linear and logarithmic for each from capacity and for the total sample of each studied crop. For winter cantaloupe grown at El Arish district, the logarithmic form of the second form capacity was the best mathematical format. A progressive relationship was evident between cantaloupe production per unit area and irrigation water and N-fertilizers at an elasticity coefficient of 0.9 and 0.1, respectively. This reflects a diminishing returns relationship of efficient water use through the drip irrigation system the linear from was found to be the best for the first form capacity. The same progressive relationship was found between production per unit area and irrigation.
Irrigation water and N-fertilizer were also evident as directly proportional to cantaloupe production in this form capacity at an elasticity coefficient of 0.43 and 0.30,
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respectively. For the cantaloupes total sample, elasticity coefficients were estimated as 0.39 for irrigation water 0.20 for N-fertilizer and 0.24 for manure this means that 1% increase in any of than, provided that the other factors remain constant, leads to an increase in cantaloupe production by 0.32, 0.20 and 0.24, respectively.
As for tomato at Rafa district, the logarithmic form was the best for the second farm capacity. Progressive relationship between tomato’s total production per feddan and irrigation water was statistically confirmed. The elasticity coefficient for irrigation water was estimated as 1.1%, provided that the other factors remain. This was also evident for the first farm capacity where the same coefficient was estimated as 1.45% with the same simplifications.
For olive at El-Arish district, the production function was proven to be the best. It showed a progressive relationship between total production per feddan and water, N-Fertilizer at a 5% level of confidence and K-fertilizer at 1- % level of confidence.
The three inputs have elasticity coefficients of 0.15, 0.94 and 0.43 respectively, reflecting a diminishing returns relationship.
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Sub-chapter (2) of chapter three indicates that the optimum size of winter cantaloupe production that minimizes production per feddan at Rafa district was 6.8 tons per feddan and less than the optimum size of production, which means that production at Rafa is below the economically viable level. For winter cantaloupe at El-Arish district, the optimum production size that minimize costs was 6.6 tons/feddan, whereas the average production of the first capacity was 6.4 tons/feddan, which means production at El-Arish is below the economically vialble level. For the total sample at El-Arish, the optimum production size that minimize costs was estimated at 7.09 tons/feddan while the average productivity for the entire sample was 5.3 tons per feddan denoting that production is below the level of economic viability.
Sub-Chapter (1) and (2) of Chapter four deals with investment return of the studied crops with a discussion of mathematical forms of production functions at each form capacity with particular emphasis on the relative importance of irrigation costs. It also includes the efficiency of groundwater conveyed by drip irrigation on crops productivity with some measures of economic efficiency such as cost of irrigation water unit (1000 m3) which reaches its maximum for olive followed by tomato (2” form capacity), cantaloupe (151. farm capacity), tomato (15`. farm
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capacity) and cantaloupe (rd. Farm capacity) in a descending order. Moreover, total cash return for irrigation water unit net return, total return on irrigation costs and irrigation water efficiency (kg/m3) measures were employed to evaluate drip irrigation efficiency in the study area. II- Recommendations:
1-Expanding the cultivation of more water-efficient crops to achieve return on unit of water (1000m3), such as olive tree grouse and cantaloupe.
2-Since the farm size has a positive impact on farm income, which is a function of efficiency, it advisable to grow cantaloupe and tomato on larger/consolidated areas for more efficient farm management.
3-Providing production inputs at fairly affordable prices.
4-Improving transportation services between North Sinai governorate and the neigh boring urban centers at reasonable cost.
5-Increasing the small farmer’s access to irrigation water and encouraging them to apply irrigation water-saving technologies.
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6-Re-distributing and rehabilitating the population of North Sinai among all districts and linking the governorate with the Eastern Delta region.
7-Designing on investment map for North Sinai’s natural riches.
8-Expanding drip irrigation system and water harvesting mechanisms to maximize the use of torrent water estimated at 90 million cubic meters.
9-Expanding vegetable plantation, using harvested waters, and well water and water kept behind dams. Crops tolerant to salinity must be focused upon, considering the high solemnity of the underground water.
10-Expanding olive tree plantations since the crop is lucrative and the tree is tolerant to solidity and less water consuming.
11-Promote awareness, through the agricultural extension agency, among farmers regarding the need for reasonable under ground water draft.
12-The purpose to ensure balance between water drawn from the underground water reservoir and the exact water requirements and to prevent increase salinity.