ABSTRACT
With the development of new technologies, the intensification of agricultural techniques and urbanization, people are losing their connection to water. Traditions and customs are forgotten, and water quickly loses its value. Sharply rising population figures combined with dwindling water supplies are common in many countries in the region. In the water-rich countries of Northern Europe and North America, the average per capita water availability varies between 1,500 and 20,000 cubic meters per year. Water scarcity forms an obvious threat, for while other regions may have less water, none combines such high population growth rates with such scarce water resources. The water situation in the Middle East is further complicated by the extreme climatic conditions and the effects of climate change. Decreasing rainfall levels, long periods of drought and desertification are all part of this phenomenon. In the midst of all the fluctuating variables—soaring population figures, dropping rainfall levels and decreasing water availability per person—there is one constant: agriculture.
