scholarly journals Cropping pattern simulation-optimization model for water use efficiency and economic return

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cesar Augusto Terán-Chaves ◽  
Sonia Mercedes Polo-Murcia

Sustainable agricultural development is one of the most important tools for the economic growth of a country. Therefore, water and land use management is considered a priority. This research aimed to develop a framework to optimize crops’ spatial and temporal distribution in an irrigation district. The AquaCrop- OS (FAO) water productivity model was integrated with a nonlinear optimization model to maximize the annual net profitability and minimize the water consumption of three crops (rice, corn, and forage). It was applied at a regional level to 905 simulation sub-units in the Zulia irrigation district (Colombia), in three typical climatic years’ scenarios, and at a multi-period level (monthly). The results indicated that: i) crop simulation for the study area was applicable and feasible; ii) rice can be combined with forage and corn; iii) corn is a viable option under dry year conditions; iv) under a wet year, forage production is the best option. On average, in the dry year, profitability decreased by 14.5% compared to the normal year in half of the study area, and in some areas, economic losses of up to 53% were obtained. In the wet year, profitability remained at the same level as the normal year in 43.8% of the area. However, there were significant decreases in profitability in 23.1% of the district. In the normal year, the water demand of the crops in each simulated period allows savings of up to 50% of water compared to the current concession amount, which is 1000 mm. This study is useful for making decisions on sustainable resources management and optimal irrigation water and land use under different biophysical and economic conditions.

2014 ◽  
Vol 153 (5) ◽  
pp. 767-778 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. K. SUN ◽  
P. T. WU ◽  
Y. B. WANG ◽  
X. N. ZHAO

SUMMARYWater scarcity is a major constraint of agricultural production in arid and semi-arid areas. In the face of future water scarcity, one possible way the agricultural sector could be adapted is to change cropping patterns and make adjustments for available water resources for irrigation. The present paper analyses the temporal evolution of cropping pattern from 1960 to 2008 in the Hetao Irrigation District (HID), China. The impact of changing cropping patterns on regional agricultural water productivity is evaluated from the water footprint (WF) perspective. Results show that the area under cash crops (e.g. sunflower and melon) has risen phenomenally over the study period because of increased economic returns pursued by farmers. Most of these cash crops have a smaller WF (high water productivity) than grain crops in HID. With the increase of area sown to cash crops, water productivity in HID increased substantially. Changing the cropping pattern has significant effects on regional crop water productivity: in this way, HID has increased the total crop production without increasing significantly the regional water consumption. The results of this case study indicate that regional agricultural water can be used effectively by properly planning crop areas and patterns under irrigation water limitations. However, there is a need to foster a cropping pattern that is multifunctional and sustainable, which can guarantee food security, enhance natural resource use and provide stable and high returns to farmers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1497-1511
Author(s):  
Alexey Naumov ◽  
Varvara Akimova ◽  
Daria Sidorova ◽  
Mikhail Topnikov

AbstractDespite harsh climate, agriculture on the northern margins of Russia still remains the backbone of food security. Historically, in both regions studied in this article – the Republic of Karelia and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) – agricultural activities as dairy farming and even cropping were well adapted to local conditions including traditional activities such as horse breeding typical for Yakutia. Using three different sources of information – official statistics, expert interviews, and field observations – allowed us to draw a conclusion that there are both similarities and differences in agricultural development and land use of these two studied regions. The differences arise from agro-climate conditions, settlement history, specialization, and spatial pattern of economy. In both regions, farming is concentrated within the areas with most suitable natural conditions. Yet, even there, agricultural land use is shrinking, especially in Karelia. Both regions are prone to being affected by seasonality, but vary in the degree of its influence. Geographical location plays special role, and weaknesses caused by remoteness to some extent become advantage as in Yakutia. Proximity effect is controversial. In Karelia, impact of neighboring Finland is insignificant compared with the nearby second Russian city – Saint Petersburg.


Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Odile Close ◽  
Sophie Petit ◽  
Benjamin Beaumont ◽  
Eric Hallot

Land Use/Cover changes are crucial for the use of sustainable resources and the delivery of ecosystem services. They play an important contribution in the climate change mitigation due to their ability to emit and remove greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. These emissions/removals are subject to an inventory which must be reported annually under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This study investigates the use of Sentinel-2 data for analysing lands conversion associated to Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry sector in the Wallonia region (southern Belgium). This region is characterized by one of the lowest conversion rates across European countries, which constitutes a particular challenge in identifying land changes. The proposed research tests the most commonly used change detection techniques on a bi-temporal and multi-temporal set of mosaics of Sentinel-2 data from the years 2016 and 2018. Our results reveal that land conversion is a very rare phenomenon in Wallonia. All the change detection techniques tested have been found to substantially overestimate the changes. In spite of this moderate results our study has demonstrated the potential of Sentinel-2 regarding land conversion. However, in this specific context of very low magnitude of land conversion in Wallonia, change detection techniques appear to be not sufficient to exceed the signal to noise ratio.


2009 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos M. Di Bella ◽  
Ignacio J. Negri ◽  
Gabriela Posse ◽  
Florencia R. Jaimes ◽  
Esteban G. Jobbágy ◽  
...  

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Han ◽  
Zheng Wei ◽  
Baozhong Zhang ◽  
Congying Han ◽  
Jianzheng Song

The adjustment of crop planting structure can change the process of water and material circulation, and thus affect the total amount of water and evapotranspiration in the irrigation district. To guide the allocation of water resources in the region, it is beneficial to ascertain the effects of changing the crop planting structure on water saving and farmland water productivity in the irrigation district. This paper takes Yingke Irrigation District as the background. According to the continuous observation data from 2012 to 2013, Based on the modified Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model and taking advantage of monthly scale remote sensing EvapoTranspiration (ET) and crop growth parameters (leaf area index and shoot dry matter), we tested the simulation accuracy of the model, proposed irrigation efficiency calculation methods considering water drainage, and established the scenario analysis method for the spatial distribution of crop planting structure. Finally, we evaluated the changes in water savings in irrigation district projects and resources, the irrigation water productivity and the net income water productivity under different planting structure scenarios. The results indicate that the efficiency of irrigation has increased by 15~20%, while considering drainage, as compared with conventional irrigation efficiency. Additionally, the adjustment of crop planting structure can reduce regional evapotranspiration by 14.9%, reduce the regional irrigation volume by 30%, and increase the net income of each regional water area by 16%.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 131-138
Author(s):  
S. Mirzataev

This article describes the Farm Optimization Model information system and the procedure for its operation which is developed for the optimal placement of crops and increase the efficiency of land use on farms.


F1000Research ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 285 ◽  
Author(s):  
John E. Duke ◽  
Jesse D. Blanton ◽  
Melissa Ivey ◽  
Charles Rupprecht

We analyzed how land-use patterns and changes in urbanization influence reported rabid raccoons in Georgia from 2006 - 2010.  Using Geographical Information Systems and rabies surveillance data, multivariate analysis was conducted on 15 land-use variables that included natural topography, agricultural development, and urbanization to model positive raccoon rabies cases while controlling for potential raccoon submission bias associated with higher human population densities.  Low intensity residential development was positively associated with reported rabid raccoons while a negative association was found with evergreen forest.  Evergreen forests may offer a barrier effect where resources are low and raccoon populations are not supported.  Areas with pure stands of upland evergreen forest might be utilized in baiting strategies for oral rabies vaccination programs where fewer or no baits may be needed.  Their use as a barrier should be considered carefully in a cost-effective strategy for oral rabies vaccination (ORV) programs to contain the western spread of this important zoonotic disease.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mira Delima ◽  
Abubakar Karim ◽  
M. Yunus

(The study of prospective forage production on existing and potential land use to support increasing livestock population in Aceh Besar) ABSTRACT. The purpose of this research was to find out the width and scattered location of existing land use which its land capability class suitable for pastures; forage production prospective, and land carrying capacity. The combination of survey and evaluation method was used in this study. The primary data were obtained by field observation and compiling documents, while the secondary data were obtained from various sources, including Bappeda Aceh, and Dinas Peternakan Aceh Besar. Land capability classification was defined based on a modified USDA method and land capability class mapping was prepared based on overlay method by geoprocessing of Geographic Information Systems. The attributes delineating land capability classification included slope, erosion potential and soil depth. Spatial and attributes data were processed using ArcGIS 9.3. Interpretation of land use map derived from satellite imagery analysis results. Brachiaria humidicola green production (tons/year) was determined by assumption-based on obtaining data from various sources. Present livestock population and increasing of population target up to 2017 were obtained from Dinas Peternakan Aceh Besar. The results showed that the existing land use area was 28,632.23 ha (59.03 %), whereas the potential land use area was 19,875.73 ha (40.97%). Land use area for pastures in the district of Aceh Besar, both existing and potential, were sufficient to support the achievement of livestock population increasing program.


2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 2609-2649 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Faramarzi ◽  
H. Yang ◽  
J. Mousavi ◽  
R. Schulin ◽  
C. R. Binder ◽  
...  

Abstract. Increasing water scarcity has posed a major constraint to sustain food production in many parts of the world. To study the situation at the regional level, we took Iran as an example and analyzed how an intra-country "virtual water trade strategy" (VWTS) may help improve cereal production as well as alleviate the water scarcity problem. This strategy calls, in part, for the adjustment of the structure of cropping pattern (ASCP) and interregional food trade where crop yield and crop water productivity as well as local economic and social conditions are taken into account. We constructed a systematic framework to assess ASCP at the provincial level under various driving forces and constraints. A mixed-integer, multi-objective, linear optimization model was developed and solved by linear programming. Data from 1990–2004 were used to account for yearly fluctuations of water availability and food production. Five scenarios were designed aimed at maximizing the national cereal production while meeting certain levels of wheat self-sufficiency under various water and land constraints in individual provinces. The results show that under the baseline scenario, which assumes a continuation of the existing water use and food policy at the national level, some ASCP scenarios could produce more wheat with less water. Based on different scenarios in ASCP, we calculated that 31% to 100% of the total wheat shortage in the deficit provinces could be supplied by the wheat surplus provinces. As a result, wheat deficit provinces would receive 3.5 billion m3 to 5.5 billion m3 of virtual water by importing wheat from surplus provinces.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document