MOPECO: an economic optimization model for irrigation water management

Abstract

Water is a natural, sometimes scarce, and fundamental resource for life, essential both for agriculture in many regions of the world and also to achieve sustainability in production systems. Maximizing net returns with the available resources is of the utmost importance, but doing so is a complex problem, owing to the many factors that affect this process (e.g. climatic variability, irrigation system configuration, production costs, subsidy policies). The MOPECO model is a tool for identifying optimal production plans, and water irrigation management strategies. The model estimates crop yield, production and gross margin as a function of the irrigation depth. Finally, these gross margin functions are used to determine an optimum cropping pattern and irrigation strategy to maximize the gross margin on a farm in a specific scenario. Since the relationships between the variables are generally non-linear and the number of alternative strategies is quite large, the optimum process is complex and computationally intensive. Genetic algorithms are therefore used to identify optimal strategies. This paper describes the MOPECO model, which comprises three computing modules: (1) estimation of net water requirements; (2) derivation of the relationship between gross margin and irrigation depth; and (3) identification of the crop planning and the water volumes to be applied. The results obtained by applying the MOPECO model to a specific irrigable area in a semi-arid area of Spain, with great deficits and high water costs, are also included and discussed. These results usually show that the irrigation depth for maximum benefits is lower than that necessary to obtain maximum production. In some areas of Spain, horticultural crops are nearly always part of the optimum alternative. The crops that become part of the optimum alternative are mainly horticultural crops with a high gross margin and low water requirements. The irrigation depths selected for the ideal crop rotation are included among the irrigation depth of maximum economic efficiency and the maximum gross margin irrigation depth. Both are lower than that necessary for the maximum yield. This model helps farmers, extension services, and other agents to analyse, make decisions and optimize water management.