Water: the world's most valuable asset

The lecture starts with an historic overview of recognising water as an economic good and trends that affect water availability and water consumption. Then it is discussed what makes water so special and what the implications are for economics. Finally , future research directions for the chair are presented

Verdrogingsbeleid niet optimaal voor landbouw en natuur!

Verdroging van natuurgebieden is in veel delen van Nederland een probleem. Peilverlaging door ontwatering ten behoeve van de landbouw (50%) en grondwateronttrekking voor (vooral) de winning van (drink)water voor huishoudens en industrie (30%) hebben gedurende de tweede helft van de twintigste eeuw hieraan bijgedragen

Biofuels and water: an exploration

This paper analyses the different impacts that biofuel production will have on water use and availability

Potential for up-scaling Nimr reed bed facilities, Oman : feasibility study

This report describes the findings of a feasibility study to treat oil contaminated water using reed beds, and consume the treated saline water using forestry. The feasibility study focused on the social, technical and economical feasibility of a project designed to process 45,000 m3 of water per day. Possible effects of a large scale operation on interactions between Petroleum Development Oman and local population are listed, and suggestions on the social processes involved are made. The economics of reed bed water treatment and water consumption through the use of forestry are determined and compared with the current practise of deep well disposal. The economics of the treatment-forestry system are more favorable than the economics of the deep well disposal. The technical analysis shows that the reed beds are able to treat water to remove hydrocarbons, and suggestions for management, design and development of the system are given

Challenges in assessing the regional feasibility of local water storage

The regional effects of local water storage are largely unknown. This study identifies, categorizes and discusses the challenges in assessing the potential of local water storage. These are illustrated using a structured method applied to a Dutch case. We conclude that the focus must shift from storage ‘potential’ (the quantity of water that can be stored) to storage ‘feasibility’, which depends on exploitability, purpose and interactions between storage alternatives. Spatial and temporal scale also influence feasibility. Finally, farmers’ investment preferences are a factor, though these are shrouded in uncertainty. This overview is a first step towards improving storage assessment tools and processes.</p

Milieuvoorwaarden in het gemeenschappelijk landbouwbeleid

Het rapport verkent en analyseert de mogelijkheden om milieuvoorwaarden te verbinden aan directe inkomenstoeslagen. Het is toegespitst op de sectoren akkerbouw en melkveehouderij, met betrekking tot milieu, natuur en landschap. De voorstellen voor crosscompliance zijn in nauw overleg met vertegenwoordigers van landbouw-, natuur- en milieuorganisaties tot stand gekomen. In totaal zijn 21 opties voor cross-compliance onderzocht, waarbij ingegaan wordt op het milieu- en natuureffect, uitvoeringsaspecten (controleerbaarheid en uitvoeringskosten), inpasbaarheid in de bedrijfsvoering en inkomenseffec

Water as an economic good in irrigated agriculture: theory and practice

This report describes the results of the Water Valuation and Pricing project, which aims to provide insight into the relevance of economics to typical problems found in irrigated agriculture. It first considers the theoretical basis for the use of economic instruments, then considers their usefulness in the context of five case studies of irrigated areas - in Egypt, India, Indonesia, Morocco and Ukraine. The case studies confirm that competition for scarce water and shortage of funds are widespread. The study provides insight into the current price paid for water, the cost of service provision, and the value to irrigators of the water they receive. The analysis shows that volumetric pricing is unlikely to be relevant to demand management because the price of water at which demand and supply would be balanced is so high as to substantially reduce farm incomes. This socio-political problem, plus the technical and administrative complexity of measuring and accounting for water, and the crucial distinction between water applied to the field and water consumed by the crop make water pricing an unsuitable approach to balancing supply and demand