Water use seminar, Damascus [antikvár]

I. IMTRODUCTIOM 1. Purpose of the Seminar At its second session in Cairo, in 196$, the PAG Regional Commission on Land and Water Use in the Near East decided to give priority to the study of the following prolDlems which the Commission had found to be of most immediate concern to the Region; - Reclamation, improvement and management of salt-affected soils, including where applicable the control of waterlogging; - Reclamation, improvement and management of calcareous soils; - Reolamation, improvement and management of sandy soils; and - Determination of the most economic use of irrigation water, taking into acco\mt consumptive use, application efficiency, crops and cropping patterns. The Commission recommended that PAO carry out a Regional Programme in Applied Research in these four fields which should liecome the basis for, and focal point of, land and v;ater use activities in the Region, ^ following this recommendation PAO, with the financial support of UNDP, initiated the Near East Applied Research Project for Land and Water Development in which provision had been made for holding a Regional seminar for each of the identified priority areas to determine the present state of knowledge and to exchange information on experience in the concerned field, and to support and stimulate the applied research programme. The first seminar covered Methods of Amelioration of Saline and Waterlogged Soils and was held in Baghdad, Iraq, from 5 to 14 December 1970. The report of the Baghdad Seminar is available as No. 7 of FAQ's series of Irrigation and Drainage Papers under the title "Salinity Seminar Baghdad". The second was the Seminar on Effective Use of Irrigation Water at the Farm Level which was held in Damasciis, Syrian Arab Republic, from 7 to 13 Decemlier 1971. This is the report of that seminar, submitted as No, 13 of PAO's series of Irrigation and Drainage Papers under the title "Water Use Seminar Damascus", The third and fourth seminars will concern calcareous and sandy soils and will be held in 1972 and 1973i respectively. The main objective of the Water Use Seminar was to bring together senior government officials and experts from the Near East Region, and consultants and PAO jjffioers to discuss and exchange information on their experience in the field oflwater management and water use in agriculture, specifically those aspects connected with increased effectiveness in water use at the farm level. The seminar was concerned with the determination of water requirements, water application and drainage, water control and management, scheme operation, and farmers' education and comprehension. This report should serve as reference material for those concerned with water use in agriculture in the Region, In view of the importance of experience, the different countries were requested to prepare contributions to each subject of the agenda of the seminar to reflect their experience. These contributions are included in the technical report under the appropriate chapters.