Rice is considered one of the most important food grain crops, as it is a major source of food for most of the Egyptian population, because rice is the main alternative to a loaf of bread, but it is a water-consuming crop, as the average water ratio per feddan reached about 6.60 thousand m³/ feddan during the period (2008-2022). Due to the limited water resources, the state resorted to determining the cultivated area of ​​rice crops to about 1.1 million feddans specified in specific areas, but many farmers do not adhere to this decision and cultivate rice in areas not specified by the state, which causes an increase in the burden on the specified water resources. Therefore, the research mainly aims to study the impact of technological change in agricultural methods on the return per unit of water and the average productivity per acre and, consequently, the average return per pound invested for some cultivated rice varieties.
It was found that the cultivated area, productivity, and production of rice in Egypt decreased by about 0.03 million feddans, 0.03 tons/ feddan, and 0.15 thousand tons annually, respectively, for the average period (2008-2022). It was also found that Dakahlia, Kafr El-Sheikh, Sharkia, Beheira, and Gharbia governorates ranked from first to fifth in terms of cultivated area and total production by about 91.82%, 92.44% of the area and total production amounting to about 1.09 million feddans, 4.11 million tons, respectively. The average water quota per feddan of rice increased for each of Lower Egypt, Middle Egypt, and the Republic by about 0.07, 0.05, and 0.06 thousand m³ annually during the period (2008-2022).
It was also found that Giza 179 variety was the highest in the methods of planting by rowing, regular transplanting, and dry sowing in the demonstration fields by about 4.28, 4.24, 4.13 tons/acre versus 4.03 tons/acre for the comparison fields and it was also the most efficient in using the water unit by about 1.019%, 0.942%, 0.96% for the agricultural methods respectively compared to the traditional fields planted with the same variety amounting to about 0.739%. It also led to an increase in the net return per pound invested in the demonstration fields by no less than 0.03 pounds.