ALTERNATIVE CROPPING SYSTEMS AND INTENSIVE IRRIGATION UNDER ARID ZONE CONDITIONS

Water and land are two inputs that affect agricultural productivity due to their relative scarcity. Intensified agricultural practices utilizing water and land, as well as other inputs, have been suggested by agronomists and other agricultural researchers as one possible means to increase agricultural production. Intensified agricultural practices tend to be capital intensive, and should be evaluated carefully for their feasibility. A general framework for analysis was suggested and applied to a case study under arid conditions in the Israeli Negro region. Results suggest that certain combinations of crop mix and irrigation technologies provide better opportunities than traditional cropping and irrigation practices. Intensification of the production system by including double cropping of field crops and incorporation of high-income crops can reduce the burden of the additional irrigational capital cost.