A decision model for stochastic optimization of seasonal irrigation-water allocation

Julio Berbel and Alfonso Expósito

Agricultural Water Management, 2022, vol. 262, issue C

Abstract: Optimal water allocation on a seasonal basis is generally a decision taken with uncertainty regarding seasonal crop needs (unknown yield, precipitation and other environmental factors). Decision criteria, such as “irrigating for the good years of production” and "applying a little extra water just in case it is needed by the plant", are consistent with the rational behaviour of stochastic profit maximization. The motivation behind an increase in water allocation (acquiring water rights or reserving water for certain crops) is that of self-protection: it is better to maintain an extra allocation of water than to face potential yield losses due to water constraints on production in those years when potential yields exceed average levels. The stochastic optimization model presented herein is applied to maize in Spain showing that in current economic and technical conditions, the optimal stochastic water allocation under yield uncertainty is 10% higher than the irrigation dose required under certainty (historical average yield), which leads to an 8% higher expected profit than that obtained for an average-yield water application.

Keywords: Stochastic optimization; Irrigation-water allocation; Yield uncertainty; Over-allocation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037837742100696X
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:262:y:2022:i:c:s037837742100696x

DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2021.107419

Access Statistics for this article

Agricultural Water Management is currently edited by B.E. Clothier, W. Dierickx, J. Oster and D. Wichelns

More articles in Agricultural Water Management from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().