Poor ground water table management practices, as well as
clearing of natural buffer areas between ocean and agricultural
areas, leads to land degradation through salinization (Anthony,
2014; Fan et al., 2012; Syvitski, 2008; Vandenbohede et al., 2008).
Agricultural land degradation is exacerbated by overuse (e.g. po-
tassium fertilizers, or excessive irrigation practices). From all the
respondents that farm crops, we have asked whether they suffer
from salinization and drought. Salinization is a major issue for 79%
of the respondents, while 16% do not suffer from drought or salinity
(Fig. 9). Meanwhile, 59% of the respondents who farm suffer from
droughts; this may be attributed to the large percentage of cotton
farmers, a crop that uses a relatively large amount of water (Davis,
2003). Regarding the irrigation method used by the farmers, 61% of
the respondents have indicated hoses and sprinklers, while 22% ofthe respondents rely only on precipitation. 17% of the respondents
did not answer. As for the surface water used for the hoses and
sprinklers, the respondents mentioned three different sources: a
majority (70%) uses river water, while 19% rely on canal water, and
11% rely on reservoir water.