Irrigation Water Productivity of Field Crops, Vegetables and Orchards in a Semiarid Region of Afghanistan

ABSTRACT Irrigation water productivity (IWP) was assessed for major field crops, vegetables and orchards under semiarid conditions in Khak‐e‐Jabbar District, Afghanistan. Field measurements, farmer interviews and agricultural records provided 382 crop‐specific observations. IWP differed significantly among crops (Kruskal–Wallis, p < 0.001). Tomato had the highest mean IWP (3.44 kg/m 3 ), followed by onion (3.23 kg/m 3 ) and plumcot (2.79 kg/m 3 ), whereas beans had the lowest value (0.49 kg/m 3 ). Vegetables showed the highest group‐level IWP, followed by orchards, cereals and legumes. A comparison with FAO (2017) reference ranges indicated that tomato, potato, maize and apple remained below their respective benchmarks. These differences show the need for crop‐specific irrigation management in semiarid areas.