Lecture 9 - Water valuation in agriculture

Lecturer:

Dr. Siderius, Christian
Visiting Researcher at the Water Resources Management Group,
Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
christian.siderius@wur.nl 

"Valuing water, to estimate demand, is difficult and contentious owing to water’s economic, physical, and political characteristics. In the lectures and practical assignment, we will examine different approaches to valuing water, with a focus on the (financial) value of water in agriculture, but not excluding other sectoral water uses. Using available data on water use for, prices for different crops and costs of production for the Middle East region we will derive estimates of water value, examine the range in value and compare this with earlier estimates and regions with similar conditions. Differences between Water Productivity or Water Footprint indicators and more economic concepts such as the Residual method will also be discussed.  

Global water use needs to be reduced to remain within planetary boundaries, yet the financial feasibility of crucial measures to reduce water use is poorly quantified. Building on the value of water in agriculture and various other sectoral uses, we will explore the benefits and costs of water conservation, to understand its feasibility from a financial perspective and to relate this to the costs of other water infrastructure such as dams or diversions. Concepts to be discussed include the Cost Curve approach as advocated by the World Bank and the marginal costs of measures."

Presentation:

Lecture 9 - Valuation of water in agriculture & feasibility of water conservation I.pptx

Practical:

Practical 9 Value of water wheat and olive production Middle East.xlsx

Value of water wheat and olive production Middle East.xlsx