The Egyptian agricultural sector consumes the largest part of the water resources at the national level. The agricultural water needs vary according to the cultivated crop area. The agricultural water needs amounted to about 63 billion m3 in the year 2018/2019, representing 82.9% of the total water use in Egypt. Hence, it was necessary to Initiating the development of irrigation systems and methods in the old agricultural lands to maximize the use of each drop of available water. Undoubtedly, the water resource is one of the most important agricultural production resources due to its scarcity and limitations on the one hand, and by virtue of not calculating its actual value in estimating the cost of production on the other hand. Economic exploitation is considered Optimizing agricultural resources is one of the main objectives of agricultural policy to achieve continuity of agricultural development .
The study aims, in general, to measure the production efficiency of the maize crop in the largest producing governorates and compare the production efficiency of them under traditional and advanced irrigation systems, and to identify the most important factors affecting this production and its flexibility, which gives the product an opportunity to increase the efficiency of maize production and control the determinants of production in Beheira Governorate.
The study recommends that irrigation water can be rationalized by reducing irrigation water losses by following modern irrigation methods and systems in the presence of a developed surface irrigation system (within water user associations), and thus maximizing water savings compared to the traditional surface irrigation method (flood irrigation), and this savings is directed From water to the reclamation and cultivation of new lands that can be added to the existing agricultural area By studying the production development of the maize crop during the period (2001-2019), the study found an annual decrease of about 935.8 thousand tons, representing about -11.5% of the average production of maize during the study period. The annual decrease estimated at -98.88 thousand feddans, representing -5.22% of the average area, and this was reflected in the feddan productivity, as it tended to decrease as well. The most important producing governorates are Beheira, Minya and Sharqia
The results of the study sample in the centers of Mahmudiya and Abu Homs in the Buhaira governorate revealed a statistically significant difference between the average productivity per acre of different irrigation patterns, namely, traditional and advanced surface irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, and drip irrigation. Sprinkler irrigation of about 5 tons, advanced surface irrigation of about 5 tons, and traditional surface irrigation of about 4.5 tonsIt was also shown from the efficiency measures that there was a statistically significant difference between the average returns on the invested pound for the different irrigation patterns, namely the traditional and advanced surface irrigation, sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation. With sprinkler of about 1.56 pounds, advanced surface irrigation of about 1.63 pounds, and traditional surface irrigation of about 1.30 pounds.
Conclusively, the study recommends that irrigation water can be rationalized by reducing irrigation water losses by following modern irrigation methods and systems in the presence of a developed surface irrigation system (within water user associations), and thus maximizing water savings compared to the traditional surface irrigation method (flood irrigation). Saving water to reclamation and cultivation of new lands that can be added to the current agricultural area