Abstract
Climate variability and farmers’ desire to improve the crop yield have resulted in an increase in irrigated agriculture in the mid-Atlantic region. However, the huge initial capital cost associated with the installation and operation of irrigation systems is generally prohibitive, with most farmers finding difficulty in justifying the expenditure, and uncertainty of the overall return on their investment. The objective of this study was to develop a decision tool for farmers in temperate regions to evaluate the cost-benefit of irrigation installations. The developed irrigation economic model involved the development of an economic component that balances the expected economic return, based on anticipated crop yield increases due to supplemental irrigation, versus the water, maintenance, and capital costs associated with the irrigation system. Model development included the input of relevant data and required local calibration. Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) output files were used as the basis for data input into the irrigation economic model. An irrigation-scheduling component was incorporated into the model to prescribe irrigation volumes for each agricultural field defined within the area of interest. The economic component of the model identifies and prioritizes those fields in which supplemental irrigation will result in the greatest economic return in terms of increased agricultural production and revenue. The study is conducted on the Pocomoke river basin in the Coastal Plain of Maryland’s eastern shore. Results showed that irrigation system selection was mainly influenced by cost of water and irrigation installation costs, and to a lesser extent by physical characteristics of the terrain and the associated properties.
Highlights
In recent years, irrigation is becoming more common in the mid-Atlantic region due to warmer climate and non-uniform seasonal distribution of precipitation, and farmers’desire to increase the crop yield
The objective of this study was to develop a decision support tool for farmers in temperate regions to evaluate the cost-benefit of irrigation installations
The negative net benefit values indicate that on average, higher net income can be expected for farmlands without the economic burden of irrigation equipment when compared to farmlands equipped with irrigation, given the water cost level associated with the simulation
Summary
Irrigation is becoming more common in the mid-Atlantic region due to warmer climate and non-uniform seasonal distribution of precipitation, and farmers’desire to increase the crop yield. Historical data indicated that the amount of groundwater withdrawal increased in those years when annual average precipitation was below the normal range (838.2–1397 mm) during the growing season [1]. The water permit database for Maryland indicated that water withdrawals for seasonal irrigation have increased in the past couple of decades to meet higher crop water demand [2]. During these occasional periods of reduced precipitation events, farmers without supplemental irrigation can potentially suffer significant losses in yield and subsequent revenue. A drop in precipitation across Maryland in 2010, especially during May to July, resulted in significant crop losses compared to 2009, with corn yields down 39 bushel per acre (bpa), soybean down 8%, hay down 15% despite an increase in farmland acreage, and barley down 31% [3]
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