Economic Efficiency Of Water Use Research Articles

Analytical Study of the Optimum Plan for Cropping Pattern in Baghdad Governorate

Purpose: The research aimed to reallocate the available economic resources and develop optimal economic plans that maximize net income, reduce costs, and maximize the net revenue of the water unit in Baghdad Governorate. Theoretical framework: Using the linear programming model as the underpinning theoretical framework, this study discovered that the profit margin exceeds the current reality by approximately 67.5%. proposed plans reduced the total annual needs of water with the proposed plans compared to the actual plan, as the actual cropping pattern needs 463474646 m3. However, with the addition of legislative constraints, the proposed cropping pattern requires 262867570 m3, resulting in a 43.2% reduction in water use. Design/methodology/approach: The method of linear programming in achieving the objective function. The research required two types of data: cross-sectional data collected from 104 farmers from the Baghdad governorate for the year 2020. Besides, the secondary data that collected from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources. Then, three optimal plans were estimated whose objective function was maximizing net income, minimizing costs, and maximizing net water unit, respectively. The study included 15 productive activities, 12 water constraints, four constraints for human work, and one for mechanized work during the year, where legislative and organizational constraints were also added. Findings: The results of the optimal plan for the proposed cropping pattern indicated that the gross profit margin of the prevailing cropping pattern is 52.9 billion and in the plan without legislative constraints 138.2 billion. In comparison, it amounted to 88.8 billion with the presence of legislative constraints, which exceeds the profit margin in the current reality by about 67.5%. Besides that, one dunam will achieve a profit of 198.6, that is, an addition of 144.7 to the profit of a dunum in the current pattern. The actual cropping pattern needs 71412355 human labor hours, which is an average of 178 hours per acre, while drawing a plan for the proposed cropping pattern with the addition of legislative constraints, it needs 53473612 hours at a rate of 120.6 hours. As for the results of the proposed cropping pattern according to the function of maximizing the net revenue of the water unit, it indicated that the proposed cropping pattern, with the inclusion of these constraints, amounted to a net water revenue of about 362.9 thousand dinars. It is also rewarding and high and exceeds about 363% of the actual net revenue or about 284.6 thousand dinars. The proposed plans likewise reduced the total annual needs of water with the proposed plans compared to the actual plan, as the actual cropping pattern needs 463474646 m3. However, the proposed cropping pattern with the addition of legislative constraints needs 262867570 m3 meaning that it reduced water use by 43.2%. Research, Practical & Social implications: This is very important due to the problem of water scarcity and its impact on the cropping pattern, that is, with this surplus quantity, it is possible to grow other crops and not be affected by the scarcity of water. Instead, the economic efficiency of water use amounted to 19.5%, and the inefficiency in the cropping pattern in terms of water revenue amounted to 80.5%. Originality/value: This a rticle applied a scientific method applied for the first time in Baghdad Governorate / Iraq. Two types of data were used. and three programmatic goals.

The impact of water conservation policies on the reallocation of agricultural water-land resources

The effects of policies on farmers' profit have a key role in their adoption by the farmers and their operationalization at the basin level. The present research explored the effects of water resources conservation policies on optimal cropping pattern and farmers' profit in the Zayanderud basin located Iran using a combined hydrological-economic model composed of WEAP and multi-objective (MOP) models for the assessment of the effects of the A2 climate change scenario with or without the conservation policies. The results showed that climate change will reduce crop yields by 0.5–4%, will decrease water availability by 12–19%, and will increase crop water requirements by 0–4%. It was also found that the adoption of the policy of changing irrigation technology along with the policy of limiting groundwater use will alleviate the effects of climate change on the farmers' profit, will enhance their planned return per unit area by 5%, and will increase the economic efficiency of water use from 5,283 to 6,002 IRR/m3. But, the policy of increasing water price cannot improve the farmers' profit at the basin level and the economic efficiency of water use although it can reduce water use. So, proving the improvement of profit and livelihood of the farmers by applying combined water resources conservation policies can play a significant role in motivating farmers to accept these policies, operationalizing optimal water resources management, and resolving conflicts over water use in this basin.

Reallocation of water in agriculture under drought conditions as economic efficiency maximizer

Objective: To analyze the water market scheme for water rights transfer, which could enable the increase of the economic efficiency of water use in the Irrigation District 011 - Alto Río Lerma. Design/Methodology/Approach: Using linear programming, a first model was developed to determine shadow prices in three water scarcity scenarios (15, 30, and 50% water resources reduction) and to compare them with the irrigation fees currently paid in Irrigation District 011. The second model established a water market scheme, using the same water scarcity scenarios (15, 30, and 50%). This model was developed to compare the net profit of the producers within and outside the water right transfer market. Results: The average shadow price of water is MN$ 3.9 m-3; this amount is higher than the irrigation fee currently paid (MN$ 0.15 m-3). The water transfer percentages are 25.8, 29.1, and 36.1%, obtaining 7.6, 7.4 and 11.7% net profit, respectively, for each water scarcity scenario (15, 30, and 50%). Study Limitations/Implications: The research was carried out based on the data from two out of the 11 irrigation modules included in Irrigation District 011. These modules are the most representative, both in extension and crop variety. Findings/Conclusions: The existence of a water market confirms the advantages of an increase in the net profit of the producers under drought conditions, included within the area of Irrigation District 011.

Optimizing Crop Systems: Integrating Forage Triticale into the Fallow of Peanut Monoculture in the North China Plain

Integrating a forage crop into the fallow (F) of the peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) (P) mono-cropping system is a practical approach to provide forage yield and increase the resource use efficiency. However, little information about the comprehensive assessment of water utilization and economic benefits in the crop–livestock system exists for the North China Plain (NCP). This study aims to identify the crop rotation for optimizing water management and enhance economic benefit. The field experiment was performed over three years (2011–2014) to assess production, water utilization, and economic benefits when inserting forage triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmack) (T) into the peanut mono-cropping system. Results showed that replacing the fallow F-P cropping system with forage triticale provided a substantial amount of forage (the average of 9.8 t ha−1 per year) and enhanced the average system productivity by 85.1%. Cultivation of forage triticale during the fallow period decreased the subsequent peanut pod yield by 8.3% due to a 19.3% decline in soil water storage capacity during the sowing stage of peanut. Replacing fallow with forage triticale increased the system net income by 1016.2 US$ ha−1 and the water use efficiency (WUE) by 30.0%, while not affecting the economic efficiency of water use (EEWU), and thus can be recommended as a better option for maintaining relatively high system production, economic benefit, and WUE in NCP.

Assessment of Economic Efficiency of Water Use through a Household Farmer Survey in North China

Water use efficiency (WUE) is one of the most widely used indicators in agricultural water management. Although this indicator has obvious advantages, it is limited to measuring the relationship between crop yield and corresponding water use. In recent years, many researchers have noted that understanding the economic efficiency of water use (EEWU) could have great water-saving potential, while it has been poorly investigated with respect to China’s agricultural water management. This paper assesses EEWU through a household farmer-level survey in the piedmont region of North China. First, EEWU of crops are estimated based on agricultural water consumption (including irrigation water and effective precipitation) and profit (including gross profit and net profit); Second, the impact of monthly price changes in 2019 and annual price changes in 2014–2019 on EEWU is analysed. Main conclusions are as follows: (1) EEWU values of cash crops such as apple and cauliflower are much higher than those of grain crops such as wheat and maize; (2) For different crops, the median economic efficiency of irrigation water (EEWiU) and total water (EEWtU) range from 31.71 to 99.54 ¥/m3 and 11.31 to 44.05 ¥/m3, respectively; (3) The multi-year average EEWiU and EEWtU ranged from 4.75 to 63.99 ¥/m3 and from 2.67 to 31.71 ¥/m3, respectively. Economic efficiency of water use shows a slightly downward trend in the period of study, which would contradict the trend towards the use of more water-efficient technologies and shows an even larger margin of improvement in the domain of agricultural water efficiency. The results provide a powerful reference for the management of agricultural water use through economic leverage.

An Integrated Approach to Assess the Water Efficiency of Introducing Best Management Practices: An Application to Sugarcane Mechanisation in Brazil

Management practices reputed to be the best are being introduced widely in the agricultural sector. The identification of what these best management practices are for a given cultivation area requires thorough assessment, using indicators that reduce the risk of unintended impacts and that help manage environmental and economic trade-offs. We propose an integrated assessment that includes two indicators in water footprint sustainability assessment: water apparent productivity and ecosystem services value, thereby considering the trade-offs in the two ecosystem services of water provisioning and erosion potential. The approach was tested in Mogí-Guaçú Pardo (Brazil), a basin that has been subjected to intensive land-use changes through the expansion of sugarcane plantations. Here, regulatory changes have also promoted the introduction of the new management practice of mechanised harvesting, thereby phasing out the practice of burning the fields before manual harvest. A probabilistic approach was applied to account for uncertainty in model parameters. The results reveal that sugarcane has a comparably high economic value but is a less efficient land-use type from a water-use perspective. The total green and blue water footprint in the basin increased by 12% from 2000 to 2012, mainly due to the increase in sugarcane area (+36%). The intensification in sugarcane harvesting practices led to improved economic water-use efficiency and also lowered erosion costs. Adding the new indicators and considering trade-offs linked to new management practices and/or land-use changes allow for more robust decision making.

Resource Use Efficiency Among Aerobic and Conventional Rice Farms in Eastern Dry Zone of Karnataka: A Comparative Analysis

The efficiency with which farmers use available resources is very important for agricultural production. This study examines the comparative resource use efficiency (RUE) between aerobic and conventional rice farms in Eastern Dry Zone (Zone-5) of Karnataka. Cross-sectional data were collected from 100 rice cultivating farmers (50 in Aerobic farms and 50 in Conventional farms) using snow ball sampling technique. Cobb-Douglas production function, Marginal analysis of resource utilization, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) were some of the analytical tools used in the study. The mean aerobic farm size was 0.43 ha while in Conventional rice, it was 0.63 ha. The physical water use efficiency (WUE) in aerobic farms (3.84 q/acre inch) was higher than conventional farms (1.64 q/acre inch). Also, the economic WUE was higher in aerobic farms (1643.54 `/acre inch) compared to conventional farms (269.41 `/acre inch). RUE indicated that, resources were not optimally utilized in both Aerobic Rice Cultivation (ARC) and Conventional Rice Cultivation (CRC). Bullock labour, machine labour, seeds and irrigation were underutilized in ARC, whereas, FYM was underutilized in CRC indicating that usage of additional amount of these inputs leads to increase in the returns. The DEA revealed that aerobic rice cultivating farms were more technically and economically efficient compared to conventional rice cultivating farms. Effective policies to promote and create awareness about aerobic rice can boost the rice production and productivity sustainably. The focus should be given to optimal allocation of resources which enhances the farm productivity and returns

Diversified crop rotations enhance groundwater and economic sustainability of food production

AbstractEarth's water resources are critical for supporting livelihoods and food security but are being increasingly overexploited to support global agriculture. Diversifying cropping systems could potentially resolve unsustainable water use but trade‐offs with other aspects of sustainability and food security have not yet been assessed. We performed a detailed analysis of 31 different field crop rotations conducted during 1990–2019 in the North China Plain, to assess the potential impact of crop diversification on actual evapotranspiration (ETa), changes in regional groundwater table, grain yield, economic output, and water use efficiency (WUE) and to identify configurations that can achieve co‐benefits across multiple dimensions. We found that a combination of lowering the cropping index (i.e., harvest frequency), incorporating fallow periods, and introducing higher‐value crops into the currently dominant winter wheat–summer maize double cropping system can reduce growing season ETa by as much as 31%, mitigate groundwater decline by 19% or more, and increased economic output and economic WUE by more than 11% and 3%, respectively. We also found that multiple diversified wheat‐maize–based rotations—all with rotation lengths greater than 2 years—achieve co‐benefits across all evaluated dimensions. This study provides new empirical evidence of the opportunities for diversified crop rotations to balance the multiple objectives of food production, sustainable groundwater use, and farmer profitability. Extending this solution to other water‐stressed agricultural regions could be an effective strategy in achieving more sustainable food production system globally.

Nutrition Management and Farm’s Age Affect Saffron Daughter Corms Behavior, Nutrients Uptake and Economic Water and Fertilizer Use Efficiency: A Large Scale On-farm Experiment in Torbat Heydarieh, Iran

ABSTRACT Evaluation of the relationships between nutritional patterns and farms’ age with the behavior of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) daughter corms based on farmers’ management (on-farm) can be crucial in improving saffron sustainable yield. Furthermore, in commercial saffron production, especially in small farms, the purchased water and fertilizers are the basis of sustainable saffron profitability, hence, recognizing the relationships between economic water use efficiency (EWUE) and economic fertilizer use efficiency (EFUE) can be important. An on-farm experiment was conducted on a large scale based on farmers’ management in Torbat Heydarieh, Iran. The farms’ age (1–6 years old) and fertilizers management approaches (organic, mineral and integrated) were considered as the first and second factors, respectively. Large-sized daughter corms number and weight and corms N and P content increased with increasing farms’ age from 1 to 4 years old. However, these parameters decreased with increasing farms’ age from 4 to 6 years old. Irrespective of saffron farms’ age, the minimum large-sized daughter corms number and weight were observed when mineral fertilizer management was practiced. By contrast, the maximum values were related to integrated fertilizer management. In each type of fertilizer management, EWUE and EFUE (based on large-sized daughter corms monetary value) increased with increasing farms age from 1 to 4 years. However, increase in farms age from 4 to 6 years caused a significant reduction in mentioned indices. Overall, if high-quality saffron corm production is needed, corms should be harvested in the fourth year to gain the maximum yield and profit.

Technical and Economic Efficiency of Irrigation Water Use for the Farms of Blueberry and Raspberry in the Loukkos Area in Morocco

Water scarcity is a major constraint at national level, under the combined effects of irregular rainfall, the country’s growing needs to respond to demographic pressure and the call of competing economic sectors (agriculture, industry, drinking water, tourism, etc.). This situation is further exacerbated by the impact of climate change, so optimization and sustainable water management are a necessity. Within this framework, this research work aims to measure the performance of producers of red fruit farms at the Loukkos perimeter through an empirical analysis of their technical efficiency and efficiency of water use. To achieve this, a deterministic production frontier model (with a production technology represented by a translog functional form) has been specified using the software FRONTIER 4.1, allowing both the estimation of farm efficiency scores and the identification of the explanatory factors for technical inefficiency. Then the estimation of water use efficiency scores using the Reinhard derivative has been measured. Survey data collected from a sample of 40 raspberry and 20 blueberry farms in the Loukkos area were used for this purpose. The results show that a minority of the farms selected are below their production frontier and are characterized by technical inefficiency. The average technical efficiency is 91%, indicating a level ranging from 60% to 99% for raspberry and an average of 91% ranging from 80% to 99% for blueberry. Some of these producers could increase their technical efficiency without having to increase their input volumes. The technical efficiency of water use is higher than 80% for raspberry, for blueberry more than 98%. On the other hand, the economic efficiency of water use scores for both crops is high (99%). As regards the analysis of the determinants of the technical efficiency and efficiency of water use they were analyzed with GRETL using Tobit model, it follows that variables such as age of farm managers, level of education, and planting age for blueberries are significant and influence positively the level of technical efficiency and technical efficiency of water use in raspberry and blueberry operations. These various results were used to identify implications, in terms of development measures, with a view to improving the performance of these farms.

The Shadow Price of Irrigation Water in Major Groundwater‐Depleting Countries

AbstractIn many semiarid regions with irrigation, the depletion rate of groundwater resources has increased substantially during the last decades. A possible reason for this is that the price that users pay for their water does not reflect its scarcity and value. An alternative way to assess the perceived value of water is calculating its shadow price, which is defined here as the marginal value produced, and relates to the efficiency gain from current reallocation. Here we determine the shadow price of water used for irrigation for the most important groundwater‐depleting countries and for four staple crops and one cash crop. To quantify the shadow price, the relation between the output and the water input is represented using production functions. We use globally available panel data on country‐specific crop yields and prices together with crop‐specific water consumption, calculated with the global hydrological model PCR‐GLOBWB, to parameterize the production function by country and crop with econometric analyses. Our results show that the variation of shadow prices for staple crops within several countries is high, indicating economically inefficient use of water resources, including nonrenewable groundwater. We also analyze the effects of reallocating irrigation water between crops, showing that changes in water allocation could lead to either an increase in the economic efficiency of water use or large reductions in irrigation water consumption. Our study thus provides a hydroeconomic basis to stimulate sustainable use of finite groundwater resources globally.

Assessing the performance of different irrigation systems on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) in the greenhouse.

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is a very important leafy vegetable in China and is commonly grown using furrow irrigation. In order to improve production efficiency, greenhouse experiments were conducted at Experimental Station, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China using furrow irrigation (FI), micro-sprinkler irrigation (MS), plastic film mulching irrigation (PF) and a combined plastic film mulching–micro-sprinkler irrigation system (PF+MS) to study their effects on soil physical characteristics, water distribution, root morpho-physiological traits, nutrition absorption, lettuce yield and water use efficiency for a spring crop and autumn crop in 2015 (Fig 1). Root length, root surface area, and root density were significantly higher under PF and PF+MS than under FI. Moreover, these traits were higher under MS than under FI but these differences were not significant. The soluble protein, soluble sugar, and Vitamin C content of lettuce decreased in the order PF+MS > PF > MS > FI in both crops. In the spring crop, the biological yield of MS, PF, and PF+MS was 7.22%、36.77%、43.20% higher than FI, respectively. In the spring crop, biological water use efficiency (BWUE) of FI, MS, PF and PF+MS was 20.93, 25.24, 36.81 and 38.54 kg m−3, respectively. The BWUE of MS, PF, and PF+MS was 20.59%, 75.87% and 84.14% higher than FI. Economic water use efficiency (EWUE) of FI, MS, PF and PF+MS was 17.06, 21.31, 31.11 and 32.31 kg m−3, respectively. The EWUE of MS, PF, and PF+MS was 24.91%, 82.36% and 89.39% higher than FI, respectively. The autumn crop achieved a higher WUE than the spring crop. The results suggested that the combined plastic film mulching-micro-sprinkler irrigation was the most suitable irrigation approach for increasing lettuce yield.

Gross economic efficiency of water use in agriculture and water-saving farm plans for Punjab

Gross economic efficiency of water use in agriculture and water-saving farm plans for Punjab

Increase in economic efficiency of water use caused by crop structure adjustment in arid areas

The Heihe River is located in the arid zone of northwestern China. In its middle-reach region, irrigation agriculture is well developed. With rapid population growth and expansion of the cultivated land in this region, effective water resource use is vital for the sustainable development of the river basin and the increase of incomes from farming practices. In this study, based on farmer survey data, the input parameters of the CROPWAT model were modified, the water use amount was simulated after deducting the influences of climate, seeds, and irrigation systems, and the variation of economic efficiency of water use (EEWU) induced by crop structure adjustment from 2001 to 2012 was analyzed. The results show that simulations for evapotranspiration of maize based on the CROPWAT model are in accord with the observed data. From 2001 to 2012, due to changes in the regional crop structure, EEWU in the study area increased by about 40%. In the arid areas in northwest China, crop structure adjustment has a huge potential for improving EEWU and increasing incomes from farming practices.

Efficiency of water use and its implications for a water-food nexus in the Aral Sea Basin

The excessive water use in Central Asian countries has caused an environmental disaster in the Aral Sea. In this regard, they need to improve the efficiency of the use of shared water resources to overcome their environmental and economic difficulties. Accordingly, the twin objectives of this study were firstly to analyse the challenges for the use of water resources in the Aral Sea Basin and secondly to estimate the agricultural water use efficiency according to the crop types and irrigation methods. The results showed that the economic efficiency of water use in Central Asian countries was lower than that of other Asian countries. Finally, this study illustrated that the selection of crop types and irrigation methods can improve the quantitative and economic efficiency of water use. However, a clear preliminary outline of interactions is necessary to avoid failure of coordination and collaboration for a regional win-win approach. In such an outline, this study will deliver valuable information on water efficiency in the Aral Sea basin.

Water Productivity and Economic Analysis of Saffron Under Different Irrigation Water Salinity, Manure Application Rates and Planting Methods

The objective of the present study was to identify whether the investment in the in-furrow planting and higher application of cattle manure under irrigation water salinity condition for saffron planting is cost-effective or not. A split–split plot arrangement was conducted in complete randomized block design with irrigation water salinity levels (0.45 (fresh water, S1), 1.0 (S2), 2.0 (S3) and 3.0 (S4) dS m−1) as the main plot, cattle manure levels (30 (F1) and 60 (F2) Mg ha−1) as the sub plot and planting method (basin (P1) and in-furrow (P2)) as the sub–sub plot in three replications. Results showed that we can reach more than two-fold higher water productivity (WP) in the in-furrow planting method compared with the basin planting method. Also, application of higher cattle manure (F2 treatment) resulted in higher WP in higher salinity levels (i.e., S3 and S4 treatments).According to the net income (NI),economic water use efficiency (EWUE) and benefit-cost ratio (BCR) analysis, the production benefit of the in-furrow planting method was higher than the production cost compared with the basin method even in the first year of the planting; whereas, it was not economically feasible for basin planting method. The highest NI for the in-furrow planting method was obtained 372 × 106 Rls ha−1 that was about 3.5 times of the highest NI (12 × 106 Rls ha−1) for the basin planting method in the second year. The economic analysis results led to conclude that planting the saffron corms in furrow was found to be suitable for producing high saffron yield and consequently NI and EWUE even under high irrigation salinity levels. Therefore, it is worthwhile to change conventional basin planting method into the in-furrow planting for saffron production to achieve the higher WP and economic efficiency.

Analysis system of the water management complex in Ukraine and the search for ways to improve

The analysis of problems related to water resources management, which should be taken changing water management system in favor of sustainable development and implementing the requirements of The Water Framework Directive, has been carried out. The basic principles of management and control in water use are given. The model of realization of actions on the decision of water management and ecological problems in the basin water-economic complex is presented. Increasing the ecological and economic efficiency of water use will help to establish a balance between satisfying the needs of the population and the sectors of the economy, limiting their use and reducing the burden on nature.

Production of Medicinal Herbs, an Approach to Sustain the Rural Economy (Case Study: Villages in Ghochan County)

Production of Medicinal Herbs, an Approach to Sustain the Rural Economy (Case Study: Villages in Ghochan County)

Multilevel Factorial Fractional Programming for Sustainable Water Resources Management

AbstractThe need for more efficient water use has increased in importance with growing water scarcity and increasing competition among water users. Measuring the economic efficiency of water use has become a useful indicator for water resources management at all levels. This study proposes a multilevel factorial fractional programming model to support water resources management under uncertainty. Linear fractional programming is introduced to provide a practical way for taking into account the ratio of economic benefit to water consumption in the modeling process. This approach allows water allocation plans to be developed on the basis of the optimal economic efficiency of water use rather than economic incentives. A multilevel factorial analysis technique is integrated within linear fractional programming framework to deal with data uncertainty. This technique can quantify the individual and interactive effects of uncertain parameters on system performance and help decision makers gain improved insight i...

Definition of efficient scarcity-based water pricing policies through stochastic programming

Abstract. Finding ways to improve the efficiency in water usage is one of the most important challenges in integrated water resources management. One of the most promising solutions is the use of scarcity-based pricing policies. This contribution presents a procedure to design efficient pricing policies based on the opportunity cost of water at the basin scale. Time series of the marginal value of water are obtained using a stochastic hydro-economic model. Those series are then post-processed to define step pricing policies, which depend on the state of the system at each time step. The case study of the Mijares River basin system (Spain) is used to illustrate the method. The results show that the application of scarcity-based pricing policies increases the economic efficiency of water use in the basin, allocating water to the highest-value uses and generating an incentive for water conservation during the scarcity periods. The resulting benefits are close to those obtained with the economically optimal decisions.