Course description
Agricultural Water Management: Water,-Society and Technology Interactions
Worldwide, a variety of processes puts more pressure on water resources every day. Global climate change causes temperatures to rise and precipitation patterns to change. A growing degree of urbanization causes people to move from the countryside to the cities. This results in increased competition over water resources, like rivers and groundwater, between cities and their surrounding areas. Furthermore, population growth and rising global welfare create an increased demand for food.
The growing demand for food must be obtained using existing agricultural land, since we are already dealing with scarcity of new farmland. Yet, the potential of increased production in the existing rain-fed agricultural areas is low.
Upcoming start dates
Suitability - Who should attend?
Prerequisites
Basic understanding of social and biophysical sciences.
Outcome / Qualification etc.
What you'll learn
- Explain the allocation, distribution, governance and use of water
- Apply the basic principles of estimating irrigation water requirements
- Explain relations between water management practices and local agricultural conditions.
- Understand the relation between water technologies, management & governance
- Analyze the interrelations between institutional and infrastructural designs for sustainable water management in agriculture.
Training Course Content
Module 1: Addressing Global Water Issues
This week introduces the concept of agricultural water management in the global context of water and food.
Module 2: Water Demand for Crop Production
In this week, the basics of calculating crop & irrigation water requirements and the relationship with actual field practices of farmers will be explained. Special attention is given to the relationship between climate, crop water requirements and crop types.
Module 3: Agricultural Water Distribution & Technology
In this week, the basics of the technology in agricultural water management will be explained. Special attention is given to the water management needs of different crops, and local conditions.
Module 4: Agricultural Water Management & Governance
In this week, the management and governance dimensions of various irrigation technologies will be explored at various institutional levels.
Module 5: Agricultural Water Management in Morocco –Putting knowledge into action
In this week, technical and social factors will be integrated and used in a final assignment applied to a real-life case study.
Course delivery details
This course is offered through Wageningen University & Research, a partner institute of EdX.
4-5 hours per week
Expenses
- Verified Track -$139
- Audit Track - Free