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Durham E-Theses The determinants of the future of agriculture in Qatar Al-Kaabi, Zabia Hamad How to cite: Al-Kaabi, Zabia Hamad (1987) The determinants of the future of agriculture in Qatar, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/6677/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk THE DETERMINANTS OF THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE IN QATAR Zabia Hamad Al-Kaabi The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his· prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Social Sciences for the Degree of Master of Arts, University of Durham October 1987 1 4 SEP 1988 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all I would like to ·express my deep gratitude to my supervisor, Professor H. Bowen-Jones, for his excellent guidance, valuable advice, encouragement and perceptive comments throughout this study, which made it easy to shape this thesis into its present form. My thanks go to my husband, Dr. M.A. Al-Kubaisi, for his help in collecting the data and for his personal encouragement. I would also like to record my thanks to the State of Qatar for the financial support given and to the Ministry of Education for their help. I wish to acknowledge the co-operation and help afforded by Dr. B. Al-Nasr, through reading and making useful suggestions. I am also grateful to the Ministry of Industry and Agriculture, and in particular to the Water and Agricultural , Research Department, for providing me with much of the data. My thanks are also extended to Mrs. M. Bell for her excellent typing of this thesis. ' Last, but not 1east, I wish to express my thanks to my children for their continuous patience. DEDICATED TO My Husband Mohammed My Children Hamad. Reem and Mai My Mother and The Memory of my Father i. i CONTENTS Contents .....•• List of Tables ... iv Li s t of Fi gu res . vi i CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND. Methodology. 12 References .. 14 CHAPTER TWO PHYSICAL RESOURCES FOR AGRICULTURE ........ 15 Climate .... 15 Temperature. 15 Humidity ..••. ······································· 20 Radiation .............• 20 Wind .... 21 Rain fa 11 ············································ 22 Evaporation and Transpiration....................... 26 So i 1 ••••••••••••• . ....................... 26 Water Resources Groundwater. 31 Physical Resources in relation to agriculture.......... 34 References . 3 7 CHAPTER THREE SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS ................•.. 38 Population .......•... .................................. 38 Population Growth. ooooooooooooooooooooooa·aoooooooooo 38 Labour Force........................................ 41 i i Page Administration : policies and structure.................. 44 Government and financial inputs into agriculture......... 49 The Market for Local Agricultural Products............... 56 Marketing NetworkS.oo••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 59 Production and Self-sufficiency....................... 59 References. II • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 64 CHAPTER FOUR: LANDHOLDINGS AND FARMS...................... 63 Farm categories .......................................... 65 Tenure . .. 68 Tenure and 1and use. 69 Private farm ownership................................... 71 Questionnaire Survey data................................ 72 CHAPTER FIVE : PROBLEMS FACING AGRICULTURE................. 81 Technical Problems....................................... 81 So i 1 ...........•......... II • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 81 Weather ........................ .- ...................... 84 Water Resources. 86 Scale of Production...................................... 87 Import/Export Trade...................................... 89 Labour Force . ..............·.. 92 Capital Return on Investment............................. 94 Farming Motivation....................................... 97 References o • o • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 99 i i i CHAPTER SIX SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS •...•......•.......... 100 Physical Factors. 100 So i 1s .•.•••••••••.••.•.•••..•••.•••••••••••.•••.•..••. 100 Irrigation Water ..................................... 102 Climate ..... 103 Socio-economic factors ...• 104 Finance ......•.. 104 The work-force ........•. 106 Management ..•........ 106 An integrated approach?. 106 References . ............................................. 113 BIBLIOGRAPHY . ..•..•••••.••••••••.•••.•.•..•.••••••....•.••• 114 APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY ..•............•.........•.. 117 iv LIST OF TABLES 1.1 Trends in Agriculture 1958-1982 ...•............ 9 2. 1 Monthly Mean Temperature 1972-1983 ............ 16 2.2 Soil Temperatures 1972-1983 .......•............ 18 2.3 Mean Monthly Relative Humidity 1972-1983 ...... 19 2.4 Solar Radiation ............................... 20 2.5 Wind Speed and Direction ..............••....... 21 2.6 Ra i nfa 11 .........................•••........... 23 2.7 Long-term Rainfall characteristics •............ 23 2.8 Mean Open Water Evaporation 1972-1983 ......... 25 2.9 Mean Monthly Potential Evapotranspiration 1972- 1 83 ....................... 25 2.10 Characteristics of a typical Rodha soil .......• 30 2.11 Water Consumption- Qatar 1964-1980 ......•..... 32 3.11 Population Estimations •.......•.............•.. 38 3. 1 • 2 Population Structure by Age Group &Sex ....... 40 3. 1. 3 Labour Force & Economic Sectors by Nationality. 41 3.1.4 New Residential Visas .....•.......•.......•.... 42 3.1.5 Renewed Residential Visas .............•........ 43 3. 3. 1 Qatar•s Annual Oil Revenue 1929-1983 .........•. 50 3.3.2 Government Capital Grants to Agriculture 1973- 1 83........................ 50 3.3.3 Governmental Machines used in Agriculture 19 7 5- I 84 . ......... 0 0 0 ••• 0 D 0 •• 0 • • 52 v 3.3.4 Vegetable seeds distributed to producers 1973- 1 84........................ 53 3.3.5 Plants and Seedlings distributed from the governmental farm 1973-1983 ...........•.. 54 3.3.6 Quantities of Pesticides distributed to farmers.................................. 56 3.3.7 Quantities of windbreak trees distributed to farmers.. 56 3. 4. 1 Diagram illustrating marketing network ....... 57 3.4.2 Agricultural Commodities produced in Qatar 1980-1983...................... 58 3.4.3 Self-sufficiency degree of some agricultural outputs 1980-1984 •....................... 61 4.1 Farms i n Qatar ............................... 65 4.2 Public Sector Farms .......................... 63 4.3 Private Farms ................................ 67 4.4 Abandoned Farms ......•........................ 71 5.1 Climatological Elements and effects on Agriculture.............................. 85 5.2 Doha market prices and returns on some vegetab 1e crops 1983 .........•.......... 88 5.3 Local and imported vegetables ...........••... 91 5.4 Local and imported fruits (excl. Dates) ..... 91 5.5 Loca 1 and imported Dates ......••••.•.••••.... 91 vi 5.6 Total Agricultural Income 1980-1984 ......... 95 5.7 Farm Production Economics ..........•......... 96 6. 1 Salinitywise distribution of wells 1982-1983. 101 6.2 Government Current Expenditure, Capital Expenditure on Major and Minor Projects, - M. I • A. & I • D. T. C. • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • 105 vii LIST OF FIGURES 1.1 Location of Qatar ..................... following p. 1 ' 2. 1 Formation of Rodha Soil ...•..•........ II p. 27 2.2 Soil Classification Map .............. II p. 28 2.3 Farm Distribution in Qatar ........... II p. 29 3.4.1 Diagram illustrating marketing network of local fruit and vegetables •.........•................ p. 57 4.1 Ministry of Industry and Agriculture Division of Qatar following p. 65 5. l Central Arabian Gulf Groundwater Flow Pattern ••..•••..••.•..•...••... II p. 86 5.2 Map of Sa 1in i ty ..•.•........•...•... II p. 86 z u.. 0 z 0 t= ~ u 0 ...J <( <( CJ co :::::::> <( <( a:: Vl <( -2- Qatar in 1555 and it became an Ottomanic administrative district. The Ottomans in carrying out their taxation policy, compiled reports on Qatar's population and economic activities and these reports provide the earliest quantitative data relevant to this study. In one report produced during the mid eighteenth century the total population of Qatar and its associated territories was estimated to be about 7, 900 in some 3,500 dwellings. This population was mainly made up of pastoral bedouin tribes and pearling was the only commercial activity; 4 there is no mention of cultivation.( ) In a later statistical report Ottoman records give the following revenue information for the late 19th century: ( 5) 1. To ta 1 po pu 1at ion 20,000 Population of the capital 8,000 Population of the villages 12,000 2. Total mosques of the capital 19 Vi 11 age mosques 1 5 3. Primary schools 1 5 4. Marine