IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v178y2016icp76-88.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Optimizing regional irrigation water use by integrating a two-level optimization model and an agro-hydrological model

Author

Listed:
  • Jiang, Yao
  • Xu, Xu
  • Huang, Quanzhong
  • Huo, Zailin
  • Huang, Guanhua

Abstract

Water scarcity has been a crucial issue for sustainable irrigated agriculture in the arid regions. In these regions where conserving water is paramount, optimal allocation and utilization of irrigation water is particularly important. In this study, a process-based regional economic optimization (PBREOP) model was developed for maximizing irrigation water use efficiency and economic benefit of an irrigation system. The PBREOP model is a two-level optimization model with combined use of an agro-hydrological model (SWAP-EPIC). The first level (farm scale) dealt with the optimal distribution of irrigation water and cropping pattern considering various crops and soils in a subsystem, using a non-linear programing technique. The second level (district scale) sought out the optimal strategy for irrigation water allocation among different subsystems using a dynamic programing algorithm. The crop water production functions (CWPFs) were an important component of the first-level objective function. They were derived with the SWAP-EPIC model considering different irrigation alternatives. The model was solved using the decomposition-harmonization method for large systems. The Yingke Irrigation District (YID) in the middle Heihe River basin, Northwest China was used as a case to test the PBREOP model. Nine CWPFs for three major crops and three major soils were firstly derived based on the simulations of different irrigation levels and climate conditions (20 years). Next, the PBREOP model for YID was established with 11 subsystems, and applied to the irrigation water use optimization under five water supply scenarios. Results showed that the total economic benefit in YID could be increased by 15% on average through the optimization of water allocation and cropping pattern with the same water supply amount as that of the current situation. A variation range of the risk was also obtained with considering the impacts of climate uncertainties. Scenario analysis showed that the total irrigation water could be reduced by 23% on average without benefit reduction when compared to the benefit of the present situation. Model test indicated that the proposed PBREOP model can efficiently optimize irrigation water use and cropping pattern on a regional scale.

Suggested Citation

  • Jiang, Yao & Xu, Xu & Huang, Quanzhong & Huo, Zailin & Huang, Guanhua, 2016. "Optimizing regional irrigation water use by integrating a two-level optimization model and an agro-hydrological model," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 76-88.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:178:y:2016:i:c:p:76-88
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2016.08.035
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377416303298
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agwat.2016.08.035?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ajay Singh & Sudhindra Panda, 2013. "Optimization and Simulation Modelling for Managing the Problems of Water Resources," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 27(9), pages 3421-3431, July.
    2. Hamid Safavi & Fatemeh Darzi & Miguel Mariño, 2010. "Simulation-Optimization Modeling of Conjunctive Use of Surface Water and Groundwater," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 24(10), pages 1965-1988, August.
    3. Shangguan, Zhouping & Shao, Mingan & Horton, Robert & Lei, Tingwu & Qin, Lin & Ma, Jianqing, 2002. "A model for regional optimal allocation of irrigation water resources under deficit irrigation and its applications," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 52(2), pages 139-154, January.
    4. Jiang, Yao & Xu, Xu & Huang, Quanzhong & Huo, Zailin & Huang, Guanhua, 2015. "Assessment of irrigation performance and water productivity in irrigated areas of the middle Heihe River basin using a distributed agro-hydrological model," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 67-81.
    5. Garg, N.K. & Dadhich, Sushmita M., 2014. "Integrated non-linear model for optimal cropping pattern and irrigation scheduling under deficit irrigation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 1-13.
    6. Singh, Ajay & Panda, Sudhindra Nath, 2012. "Development and application of an optimization model for the maximization of net agricultural return," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 267-275.
    7. R. Rejani & Madan Jha & Sudhindra Panda, 2009. "Simulation-Optimization Modelling for Sustainable Groundwater Management in a Coastal Basin of Orissa, India," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 23(2), pages 235-263, January.
    8. Xu Xu & Guanhua Huang & Zhongyi Qu & Luis Pereira, 2011. "Using MODFLOW and GIS to Assess Changes in Groundwater Dynamics in Response to Water Saving Measures in Irrigation Districts of the Upper Yellow River Basin," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 25(8), pages 2035-2059, June.
    9. Xu, Xu & Huang, Guanhua & Sun, Chen & Pereira, Luis S. & Ramos, Tiago B. & Huang, Quanzhong & Hao, Yuanyuan, 2013. "Assessing the effects of water table depth on water use, soil salinity and wheat yield: Searching for a target depth for irrigated areas in the upper Yellow River basin," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 46-60.
    10. Pereira, L.S. & Paredes, P. & Sholpankulov, E.D. & Inchenkova, O.P. & Teodoro, P.R. & Horst, M.G., 2009. "Irrigation scheduling strategies for cotton to cope with water scarcity in the Fergana Valley, Central Asia," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(5), pages 723-735, May.
    11. L. Zhang & C. Li, 2014. "An Inexact Two-Stage Water Resources Allocation Model for Sustainable Development and Management Under Uncertainty," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 28(10), pages 3161-3178, August.
    12. Mehran Homayounfar & Sai Lai & Mehdi Zomorodian & Ali Sepaskhah & Arman Ganji, 2014. "Optimal Crop Water Allocation in Case of Drought Occurrence, Imposing Deficit Irrigation with Proportional Cutback Constraint," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 28(10), pages 3207-3225, August.
    13. Shang, Songhao & Mao, Xiaomin, 2006. "Application of a simulation based optimization model for winter wheat irrigation scheduling in North China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 85(3), pages 314-322, October.
    14. Singh, R. & Helmers, M.J. & Qi, Zhiming, 2006. "Calibration and validation of DRAINMOD to design subsurface drainage systems for Iowa's tile landscapes," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 85(3), pages 221-232, October.
    15. Li, Mo & Guo, Ping, 2015. "A coupled random fuzzy two-stage programming model for crop area optimization—A case study of the middle Heihe River basin, China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 53-66.
    16. Saseendran, S.A. & Ahuja, Lajpat R. & Ma, Liwang & Trout, Thomas J. & McMaster, Gregory S. & Nielsen, David C. & Ham, Jay M. & Andales, Allan A. & Halvorson, Ardel D. & Chávez, José L. & Fang, Quanxia, 2015. "Developing and normalizing average corn crop water production functions across years and locations using a system model," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 65-77.
    17. Ines, Amor V.M. & Honda, Kiyoshi & Das Gupta, Ashim & Droogers, Peter & Clemente, Roberto S., 2006. "Combining remote sensing-simulation modeling and genetic algorithm optimization to explore water management options in irrigated agriculture," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 83(3), pages 221-232, June.
    18. Playan, Enrique & Mateos, Luciano, 2006. "Modernization and optimization of irrigation systems to increase water productivity," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 80(1-3), pages 100-116, February.
    19. Singh, Ajay, 2014. "Simulation–optimization modeling for conjunctive water use management," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 23-29.
    20. Kuo, Sheng-Feng & Merkley, Gary P. & Liu, Chen-Wuing, 2000. "Decision support for irrigation project planning using a genetic algorithm," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 243-266, August.
    21. Levidow, Les & Zaccaria, Daniele & Maia, Rodrigo & Vivas, Eduardo & Todorovic, Mladen & Scardigno, Alessandra, 2014. "Improving water-efficient irrigation: Prospects and difficulties of innovative practices," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 84-94.
    22. Sethi, Laxmi Narayan & Panda, Sudhindra N. & Nayak, Manoj K., 2006. "Optimal crop planning and water resources allocation in a coastal groundwater basin, Orissa, India," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 83(3), pages 209-220, June.
    23. Pereira, Luis Santos & Oweis, Theib & Zairi, Abdelaziz, 2002. "Irrigation management under water scarcity," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 57(3), pages 175-206, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Madan K. Jha & Richard C. Peralta & Sasmita Sahoo, 2020. "Simulation-Optimization for Conjunctive Water Resources Management and Optimal Crop Planning in Kushabhadra-Bhargavi River Delta of Eastern India," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-20, May.
    2. Chongfeng Ren & Hongbo Zhang, 2019. "An Inexact Optimization Model for Crop Area Under Multiple Uncertainties," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-20, July.
    3. Manuela Moreira da Silva & Flávia C. Resende & Bárbara Freitas & Jaime Aníbal & António Martins & Amílcar Duarte, 2022. "Urban Wastewater Reuse for Citrus Irrigation in Algarve, Portugal—Environmental Benefits and Carbon Fluxes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-13, August.
    4. Cao, Zhaodan & Zhu, Tingju & Cai, Ximing, 2023. "Hydro-agro-economic optimization for irrigated farming in an arid region: The Hetao Irrigation District, Inner Mongolia," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 277(C).
    5. Li, Jiang & Shang, Songhao & Jiang, Hongzhe & Song, Jian & Rahman, Khalil Ur & Adeloye, Adebayo J., 2021. "Simulation-based optimization for spatiotemporal allocation of irrigation water in arid region," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 254(C).
    6. Bonfante, A. & Monaco, E. & Manna, P. & De Mascellis, R. & Basile, A. & Buonanno, M. & Cantilena, G. & Esposito, A. & Tedeschi, A. & De Michele, C. & Belfiore, O. & Catapano, I. & Ludeno, G. & Salinas, 2019. "LCIS DSS—An irrigation supporting system for water use efficiency improvement in precision agriculture: A maize case study," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    7. Liu, Minghuan & Jiang, Yao & Xu, Xu & Huang, Quanzhong & Huo, Zailin & Huang, Guanhua, 2018. "Long-term groundwater dynamics affected by intense agricultural activities in oasis areas of arid inland river basins, Northwest China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 203(C), pages 37-52.
    8. Zhang, Chenglong & Li, Xuemin & Guo, Ping & Huo, Zailin, 2021. "Balancing irrigation planning and risk preference for sustainable irrigated agriculture: A fuzzy credibility-based optimization model with the Hurwicz criterion under uncertainty," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 254(C).
    9. Li, Mo & Sun, Hao & Liu, Dong & Singh, Vijay P. & Fu, Qiang, 2021. "Multi-scale modeling for irrigation water and cropland resources allocation considering uncertainties in water supply and demand," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    10. Zhang, Fan & Guo, Shanshan & Liu, Xiao & Wang, Youzhi & Engel, Bernard A. & Guo, Ping, 2020. "Towards sustainable water management in an arid agricultural region: A multi-level multi-objective stochastic approach," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    11. Wenzhe Luo & Yanling Jiang & Yuansheng Chen & Zhigang Yu, 2023. "Coupling Coordination and Spatial-Temporal Evolution of Water-Land-Food Nexus: A Case Study of Hebei Province at a County-Level," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-22, March.
    12. Wang, Youzhi & Guo, Shanshan & Yue, Qing & Mao, Xiaomin & Guo, Ping, 2021. "Distributed AquaCrop simulation-nonlinear multi-objective dependent-chance programming for irrigation water resources management under uncertainty," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 247(C).
    13. Zhang, Chenglong & Engel, Bernard A. & Guo, Ping, 2018. "An Interval-based Fuzzy Chance-constrained Irrigation Water Allocation model with double-sided fuzziness," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 22-31.
    14. Zhang, Fan & Zhang, Chenglong & Yan, Zehao & Guo, Shanshan & Wang, Youzhi & Guo, Ping, 2018. "An interval nonlinear multiobjective programming model with fuzzy-interval credibility constraint for crop monthly water allocation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 209(C), pages 123-133.
    15. Min Chen & Songhao Shang & Wei Li, 2020. "Integrated Modeling Approach for Sustainable Land-Water-Food Nexus Management," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-19, April.
    16. Chongfeng Ren & Jiantao Yang & Hongbo Zhang, 2019. "An inexact fractional programming model for irrigation water resources optimal allocation under multiple uncertainties," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(6), pages 1-17, June.
    17. Yu Fan & Haorui Chen & Zhanyi Gao & Benyan Fang & Xiangkun Liu, 2023. "A Model Coupling Water Resource Allocation and Canal Optimization for Water Distribution," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 37(3), pages 1341-1365, February.
    18. Xu, Xu & Jiang, Yao & Liu, Minghuan & Huang, Quanzhong & Huang, Guanhua, 2019. "Modeling and assessing agro-hydrological processes and irrigation water saving in the middle Heihe River basin," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 152-164.
    19. Tang, Yikuan & Zhang, Fan & Wang, Sufen & Zhang, Xiaodong & Guo, Shanshan & Guo, Ping, 2019. "A distributed interval nonlinear multiobjective programming approach for optimal irrigation water management in an arid area," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 13-26.
    20. Zhang, Chenglong & Li, Xuemin & Guo, Ping & Huo, Zailin, 2020. "An improved interval-based fuzzy credibility-constrained programming approach for supporting optimal irrigation water management under uncertainty," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 238(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mandal, Uday & Dhar, Anirban & Panda, Sudhindra N., 2021. "Enhancement of sustainable agricultural production system by integrated natural resources management framework under climatic and operational uncertainty," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 252(C).
    2. Liuyue He & Sufen Wang & Congcong Peng & Qian Tan, 2018. "Optimization of Water Consumption Distribution Based on Crop Suitability in the Middle Reaches of Heihe River," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-17, June.
    3. Linker, Raphael, 2020. "Unified framework for model-based optimal allocation of crop areas and water," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).
    4. Ajay Singh, 2014. "Irrigation Planning and Management Through Optimization Modelling," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 28(1), pages 1-14, January.
    5. Ren, Dongyang & Xu, Xu & Engel, Bernard & Huang, Quanzhong & Xiong, Yunwu & Huo, Zailin & Huang, Guanhua, 2021. "A comprehensive analysis of water productivity in natural vegetation and various crops coexistent agro-ecosystems," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    6. Wang, Rong & Huang, Guanhua & Xu, Xu & Ren, Dongyang & Gou, Jiachao & Wu, Zhangsheng, 2022. "Significant differences in agro-hydrological processes and water productivity between canal- and well-irrigated areas in an arid region," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 267(C).
    7. Dehghanipour, Amir Hossein & Schoups, Gerrit & Zahabiyoun, Bagher & Babazadeh, Hossein, 2020. "Meeting agricultural and environmental water demand in endorheic irrigated river basins: A simulation-optimization approach applied to the Urmia Lake basin in Iran," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
    8. Wang, Youzhi & Guo, Shanshan & Yue, Qing & Mao, Xiaomin & Guo, Ping, 2021. "Distributed AquaCrop simulation-nonlinear multi-objective dependent-chance programming for irrigation water resources management under uncertainty," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 247(C).
    9. Zhang, Chenglong & Guo, Ping, 2018. "FLFP: A fuzzy linear fractional programming approach with double-sided fuzziness for optimal irrigation water allocation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 105-119.
    10. Liu Liu & Zezhong Guo & Guanhua Huang & Ruotong Wang, 2019. "Water Productivity Evaluation under Multi-GCM Projections of Climate Change in Oases of the Heihe River Basin, Northwest China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-17, May.
    11. Niu, G. & Li, Y.P. & Huang, G.H. & Liu, J. & Fan, Y.R., 2016. "Crop planning and water resource allocation for sustainable development of an irrigation region in China under multiple uncertainties," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 53-69.
    12. Wu, Xin & Zheng, Yi & Wu, Bin & Tian, Yong & Han, Feng & Zheng, Chunmiao, 2016. "Optimizing conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater for irrigation to address human-nature water conflicts: A surrogate modeling approach," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 380-392.
    13. Shu Chen & Dongguo Shao & Xudong Li & Caixiu Lei, 2016. "Simulation-Optimization Modeling of Conjunctive Operation of Reservoirs and Ponds for Irrigation of Multiple Crops Using an Improved Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 30(9), pages 2887-2905, July.
    14. Geerts, Sam & Raes, Dirk, 2009. "Deficit irrigation as an on-farm strategy to maximize crop water productivity in dry areas," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(9), pages 1275-1284, September.
    15. Yaltaghian Khiabani, M. & Hashamy Shahadany, S.M. & Maestre, J.M. & Stepanian, R. & Mallakpour, I., 2020. "Potential assessment of non-automatic and automatic modernization alternatives for the improvement of water distribution supplied by surface-water resources: A case study in Iran," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 230(C).
    16. Wen, Yeqiang & Shang, Songhao & Yang, Jian, 2017. "Optimization of irrigation scheduling for spring wheat with mulching and limited irrigation water in an arid climate," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 33-44.
    17. Ajay Singh, 2016. "Optimal Allocation of Resources for Increasing Farm Revenue under Hydrological Uncertainty," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 30(7), pages 2569-2580, May.
    18. Sanjay Raul & Sudhindra Panda, 2013. "Simulation-Optimization Modeling for Conjunctive Use Management under Hydrological Uncertainty," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 27(5), pages 1323-1350, March.
    19. Chen, Shu & Shao, Dongguo & Gu, Wenquan & Xu, Baoli & Li, Haoxin & Fang, Longzhang, 2017. "An interval multistage water allocation model for crop different growth stages under inputs uncertainty," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 186(C), pages 86-97.
    20. Ren, Dongyang & Xu, Xu & Engel, Bernard & Huang, Quanzhong & Xiong, Yunwu & Huo, Zailin & Huang, Guanhua, 2019. "Hydrological complexities in irrigated agro-ecosystems with fragmented land cover types and shallow groundwater: Insights from a distributed hydrological modeling method," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 868-881.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:178:y:2016:i:c:p:76-88. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agwat .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.