Despite water scarcity and high agricultural water consumption in the Middle East and North Africa region, substantial amounts of treated wastewater are discharged into seas without proper utilization. This can be attributed to either farmers' unwillingness to use or to pay for reclaimed wastewater. Therefore, a field survey was conducted in Jordan and Tunisia, which are considered as representative to the MENA region, using a prepared and pilot tested questionnaire. This study applies the contingent valuation method to elicit the willingness of farmers to pay for reclaimed wastewater. Logistic regression analysis is applied in an attempt to build a model that correlates qualitative responses of farmers to monetary stimuli. The water price seriously affects farming profitability and farmers' willingness to pay for reclaimed wastewater. Farmers prove to be unwilling to pay more than 0.05 $/m3 of reclaimed wastewater primarily because of quality concerns, comparatively easy access to freshwater, and price.
Land cover has been changed by humans throughout history. At the global level, population growth and socioeconomic development have a significant impact on land resources. Recently, scholars added climate change as one of the major factors affecting land-cover transformation. In the West Bank of Palestine, the situation is more complicated, where geopolitical constraints due to the Israeli occupation and lack of control over land resources. In the West Bank, fertile land represents 16%, 87% of the cultivated land is rainfed, 11% is pastureland and 2% is irrigated. This paper focuses on the problems of agricultural land shrinkage by time and tries to reveal the major factors behind this change. The study area is Jenin, a major agricultural area in the West Bank, Palestine. Statistical data, aerial photos and related attribute data were analyzed by using GIS software. The study showed that urban growth is the major threat on agricultural lands.
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