Optimal Cultivation Pattern to Increase Revenue and Reduce Water Use: Application of Linear Programming to Arjan Plain in Fars Province

Amin Daghighi, Ali Nahvi and Ungtae Kim
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Amin Daghighi: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH 44115, USA
Ali Nahvi: Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Ungtae Kim: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH 44115, USA

Agriculture, 2017, vol. 7, issue 9, 1-11

Abstract: Because the available water resources of the Arjan plain region in Iran do not fully meet the watering requirements for plants in farmlands, the crops suffer from water stress, a situation that causes them to wilt. The aim of this study is to develop a water resources planning model that helps decision-makers determine an appropriate cultivation pattern, optimize the exploitation from surface water resources, and specify the method of allocating water across different farm crops to minimize the detrimental effects of water shortage. Through investigating various models of water resources planning and properties along with the governing conditions for each of these models, the linear programming model was selected as a suitable option due to its simplicity and practical applicability to water resource allocation planning. The model was run for a five-year period by considering gradual variations through the determination of the most appropriate exploitation pattern from the available water resources (surface and groundwater). Results reveal that the negative water balance can be improved gradually as positive, where it will reach +20 million m 3 per year in 2040 from the current deficit of 236 million m 3 with an 8% increased net profit.

Keywords: optimization; water resources; cultivation pattern; groundwater (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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