This report contains a collection of papers from a workshop—Strengthening Science-Based Decision-Making for Sustainable Management of Scarce Water Resources for Agricultural Production, held in Tunisia. Participants, including scientists, decision makers, representatives of non-profit organizations, and a farmer, came from the United States and several countries in North Africa and the Middle East. The papers examined constraints to agricultural production as it relates to water scarcity; focusing on 1) the state of the science regarding water management for agricultural purposes in the Middle East and North Africa 2) how science can be applied to better manage existing water supplies to optimize the domestic production of food and fiber. The cross-cutting themes of the workshop were the elements or principles of science-based decision making, the role of the scientific community in ensuring that science is an integral part of the decision making process, and ways to improve communications between scientists and decision makers.
- Frontmatter
- PREFACE
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- Contents
- OVERVIEW
- The Elements of Scientific Advice
- How can scientific research be more effectively integrated into public policy making?
- The Academy of Science and Technology of Senegal: an instrument of action and advice to decision makers for the progress of the Nation
- The Role of Science in Agricultural Water Management
- Optimizing Irrigation for Agricultural Water Management: Scientific Principles
- Linking Agricultural Water Management and Scientifically-Based Decision Making
- Regulated Deficit Irrigation in Trees and Vines
- The Water Resources and Water Management Regimes in Tunisia
- Water in Tunisia: A National Perspective
- Participatory Irrigation Management: A Case Study from Turkey
- Putting Science Into Action: From Washington State Community-based Outreach To National Programming In Washington DC
- Protecting the Dead Sea Basin: The Position of Friends of the Earth Middle East on the Red Dead Conduit and the protection of River Jordan
- Training and Research Ideas for Water Management in the West Bank and Gaza
- Web-Based Ecological Decision Support System
- Regional Initiative for Dryland Management in Tunisia
- APPENDIX A AGENDA
- APPENDIX B List of Participants