Optimal allocation of water and land resources for maximizing the farm income and minimizing the irrigation-induced environmental problems

Abstract

The continuous decrease in good quality water and land resources and concurrent increase in global population accentuates the need of optimal allocation of these resources to fulfilling the rising food requirements. This study presents the formulation and application a management model for the optimal allocation of available good quality water and land resources to maximize the farm revenue of a canal command area. A groundwater balance constraint was imposed on the model, which moderates the irrigation-induced environmental problems of waterlogging and salinization, while making the optimal allocation of resources. The model results show a reduction in mustard, rice, and gram crop areas against an increase in sorghum, millets, and wheat areas. The net annual revenue from the command area increased by about 18 % under the optimal allocation plans. The farmers and stakeholders concerned in the actual agricultural production process are suggested to use groundwater and canal water conjunctively to maximizing the farm income. This strategy would also mitigate the hydrological imbalances to the groundwater system without installing costly drainage systems which is not viable as the quality of groundwater is poor and drainage water may cause a serious disposal problem. The developed model can be used as a reliable decision tool for taking the farm and regional level decisions of optimal land and water resources allocation and is able to solve the irrigation-induced environmental problems of agricultural systems.