Impact of Water Users Associations on the Economic and Production Efficiency of Wheat and Maize Crops in Fayoum Governorate, Egypt

Abstract

In light of the scarcity of rain water, government policies are directed to reclaim 1.5 million feddan. So the biggest challenge is to minimize the water resources needed to fill the increase in water demand in the future to drive development. The research problem lies in the fact that although there is a clear waste in the use of water in the agricultural sector in general and in Fayoum Governorate in particular, the farmers of the fields located at the ends of cannel water in Fayoum are always complaining about the lack of water, which leads to the forgery of areas Great especially in the summer agricultural season, so the research aimed to measure and compare the efficiency of irrigation water use inside and outside the water user associations. The research depends on the primary data obtained through A random stratified sample of 380 Farmer, The study depends on two methods of descriptive and quantitative statistical analysis to study the economics of production wheat and maize crops inside and outside the water user associations, The statistical estmation of the production functions showed the advantage of Cup Douglas form, including the difference in the variables affecting the production of crops within the water users' associations compared to outside it, The total production elasticity of wheat crop amounted to about 0.500, 0.650, 0.528, 0.543 for each of Sinnuras, Atsa, Abshway, and Fayoum outside the water users' associations, while about 0.888, 0.831, 0.795, 0.728 for the same within the user associations Water respectively, while the production elasticity of maize yield was 0.721, 0.629 for Fayoum and Atsa outside the associations compared to 0.886 and 0.856 for the same within the associations, respectively, Which indicates that production in the economic stage. The results of the statistical estimation of cost functions showed a difference in the minimize size of costs within the water user associations compared to outside it, and all farmers achieve this size. The elasticity of costs for wheat and maize ranged between (1.10-1.67) inside or outside the water user associations, which indicates that production at the economic stage, which is consistent with the results obtained from production functions. The results of the economic and production efficiency indicators also showed the superiority of the farmers of wheat and maize crops within the water users 'associations compared to outside it, which indicates apositive impact of the water users' associations, increasing the total revenue per unit of land, and net yield, as indicated by the decrease in the amount of irrigation water used to irrigate the crop within the water user associations compared to outside it, which indicates the success of those associations in achieving their goals, which is to rationalize using of irrigation water and fair distribution it, increasing both productivity and net revenue.