Interdisciplinary tool for optimizing agricultural production and erosion: a conceptual model

Abstract

What are the areas in a catchment where soil conservation practices can be most effectively implemented? To be able to answer that question, erosion rates and farm profitability from different land uses need to be optimized according to physical economic and social constraints, which differ for the interest groups in and outside a catchment. The Interdisciplinary Tool for Optimizing Productivity and Erosion (ITOPE), a conceptual model at this point, offers the opportunity for hydrologists, economists and anthropologists to integrate their knowledge about the erosion problem. It optimizes farm profitability and soil loss and quantifies the economic impact of soil conservation measures for subcatchments, given physical, social and economic constraints, by linking a hydrologic model, a multiple criteria optimization model and an expert system. It should serve as a tool for regional planners, which ensures that social and economic boundary conditions for each of the interest groups in a watershed are considered. It should also serve as a negotiation tool for groups inside and outside the watershed, to allocate the costs and benefits of soil conservation. The development of the conceptual model has led to the observation of interdisciplinary methodological opportunities.