IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v98y2011i9p1349-1363.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Irrigation evaluation based on performance analysis and water accounting at the Bear River Irrigation Project (U.S.A.)

Author

Listed:
  • Lecina, S.
  • Neale, C.M.U.
  • Merkley, G.P.
  • Dos Santos, C.A.C.

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to contribute to the development of a combined approach to evaluate irrigated areas based on: (1) irrigation performance analysis intended to assess the productive impacts of irrigation practices and infrastructures, and (2) water accounting focused on the hydrological impacts of water use. Ador-Simulation, a combined model that simulates irrigation, water delivery, and crop growth and production was applied in a surface irrigated area (1213Â ha) located in the Bear River Irrigation Project, Utah, U.S.A.. A soil survey, a campaign of on-farm irrigation evaluations and an analysis of the database from the Bear River Canal Company and other resources were performed in order to obtain the data required to simulate the water flows of the study area in 2008. Net land productivity (581Â US$Â ha-1) was 20% lower than the potential value, whereas on-farm irrigation efficiency (IE) averaged only 60%. According to the water accounting, water use amounted to 14.24Â Mm3, 86% of which was consumed through evapotranspiration or otherwise non-recoverable. Gross water productivity over depleted water reached 0.132Â US$Â m-3. In addition, two strategies for increasing farm productivity were analyzed. These strategies intended to improve water management and infrastructures raised on-farm IE to 90% reducing the gap between current and potential productivities by about 50%. Water diverted to the project was reduced by 2.64Â Mm3. An analysis based on IE could lead to think that this volume would be saved. However, the water accounting showed that actually only 0.91Â Mm3 would be available for alternative uses. These results provide insights to support the decision-making processes of farmers, water user associations, river basin authorities and policy makers. Water accounting overcomes the limitations and hydrological misunderstandings of traditional analysis based on irrigation efficiency to assess irrigated areas in the context of water scarcity and competitive agricultural markets.

Suggested Citation

  • Lecina, S. & Neale, C.M.U. & Merkley, G.P. & Dos Santos, C.A.C., 2011. "Irrigation evaluation based on performance analysis and water accounting at the Bear River Irrigation Project (U.S.A.)," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(9), pages 1349-1363, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:98:y:2011:i:9:p:1349-1363
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037837741100076X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    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. Flake, John & Moon, Todd K. & McKee, Mac & Gunther, Jacob H., 2010. "Application of the relevance vector machine to canal flow prediction in the Sevier River Basin," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(2), pages 208-214, February.
    2. Lecina, S. & Playan, E. & Isidoro, D. & Dechmi, F. & Causape, J. & Faci, J.M., 2005. "Irrigation evaluation and simulation at the Irrigation District V of Bardenas (Spain)," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 73(3), pages 223-245, May.
    3. de Fraiture, Charlotte & Wichelns, D. & Rockstrom, J. & Kemp-Benedict, E. & Eriyagama, Nishadi & Gordon, L. J. & Hanjra, M. A. & Hoogeveen, J. & Huber-Lee, A. & Karlberg, L., 2007. "Looking ahead to 2050: scenarios of alternative investment approaches," Book Chapters,, International Water Management Institute.
    4. Seckler, D., 1996. "The new era of water resources management: from \dry\ to \wet\ water savings," IWMI Research Reports H018206, International Water Management Institute.
    5. Mateos, Luciano & Lozano, David & Baghil, Ahmed Baba Ould & Diallo, Oumar Abdoul & Gómez-Macpherson, Helena & Comas, Jordi & Connor, David, 2010. "Irrigation performance before and after rehabilitation of a representative, small irrigation scheme besides the Senegal River, Mauritania," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(6), pages 901-909, June.
    6. Isidoro, D. & Quilez, D. & Aragues, R., 2004. "Water balance and irrigation performance analysis: La Violada irrigation district (Spain) as a case study," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 123-142, January.
    7. Molden, David J. & Sakthivadivel, Ramasamy & Perry, Christopher J. & de Fraiture, Charlotte & Kloezen, Wim H., 1998. "Indicators for comparing performance of irrigated agricultural systems," IWMI Research Reports 44581, International Water Management Institute.
    8. Molden, David & Oweis, Theib & Steduto, Pasquale & Bindraban, Prem & Hanjra, Munir A. & Kijne, Jacob, 2010. "Improving agricultural water productivity: Between optimism and caution," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(4), pages 528-535, April.
    9. Perry, C. J., 1996. "The IIMI water balance framework: a model for project level analysis," IWMI Research Reports H019241, International Water Management Institute.
    10. 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.
    11. Molden, D. & Murray-Rust, H. & Sakthivadivel, R. & Makin, I., 2003. "A water-productivity framework for understanding and action," IWMI Books, Reports H032632, International Water Management Institute.
    12. Playan, E. & Cavero, J. & Mantero, I. & Salvador, R. & Lecina, S. & Faci, J.M. & Andres, J. & Salvador, V. & Cardena, G. & Ramon, S. & Lacueva, J.L. & Tejero, M. & Ferri, J. & Martinez-Cob, A., 2007. "A database program for enhancing irrigation district management in the Ebro Valley (Spain)," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 87(2), pages 209-216, January.
    13. Seckler, D. & Molden, D. & Sakthivadivel, R., 2003. "The concept of efficiency in water resources management and policy," IWMI Books, Reports H032634, International Water Management Institute.
    14. Perry, C. J., 1999. "The IWMI water resources paradigm - definitions and implications," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 45-50, March.
    15. Playan, E. & Slatni, A. & Castillo, R. & Faci, J. M., 2000. "A case study for irrigation modernisation: II: Scenario analysis," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 335-354, January.
    16. Akbari, Mehdi & Toomanian, Norair & Droogers, Peter & Bastiaanssen, Wim & Gieske, Ambro, 2007. "Monitoring irrigation performance in Esfahan, Iran, using NOAA satellite imagery," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 88(1-3), pages 99-109, March.
    17. Dechmi, F. & Playan, E. & Faci, J. M. & Tejero, M. & Bercero, A., 2003. "Analysis of an irrigation district in northeastern Spain: II. Irrigation evaluation, simulation and scheduling," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 61(2), pages 93-109, June.
    18. Bos, M. G. & Burton, M. A. & Molden, David J., 2005. "Irrigation and drainage performance assessment: practical guidelines," IWMI Books, Reports H037064, International Water Management Institute.
    19. Molden, D. J. & Sakthivadivel, R. & Perry, C. J. & de Fraiture, C. & Kloezen, W. H., 1998. "Indicators for comparing performance of irrigated agricultural systems," IWMI Research Reports H022308, International Water Management Institute.
    20. Molden, David, 2007. "Water for food, water for life: a comprehensive assessment of water management in agriculture," IWMI Books, Reports H040193, International Water Management Institute.
    21. Kijne, J. W. & Barker, R. & Molden. D., 2003. "Water productivity in agriculture: limits and opportunities for improvement," IWMI Books, Reports H032631, International Water Management Institute.
    22. Causapé Valenzuela, Jesús, 2009. "Agro-environmental evaluation of irrigation land: I. Water use in Bardenas irrigation district (Spain)," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(2), pages 179-187, February.
    23. Kijne, Jacob W. & Barker, Randolph & Molden, David J. (ed.), 2003. "Water productivity in agriculture: limits and opportunities for improvement," IWMI Books, International Water Management Institute, number 138054.
    24. Perry, Chris & Steduto, Pasquale & Allen, Richard. G. & Burt, Charles M., 2009. "Increasing productivity in irrigated agriculture: Agronomic constraints and hydrological realities," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(11), pages 1517-1524, November.
    25. Lecina, S. & Isidoro, D. & Playán, E. & Aragüés, R., 2010. "Irrigation modernization and water conservation in Spain: The case of Riegos del Alto Aragón," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(10), pages 1663-1675, October.
    26. Molden, David, 2007. "Water for food, water for life: a comprehensive assessment of water management in agriculture: summary," IWMI Books, Reports H039769, International Water Management Institute.
    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. Gordon, Beatrice L. & Paige, Ginger B. & Miller, Scott N. & Claes, Niels & Parsekian, Andrew D., 2020. "Field scale quantification indicates potential for variability in return flows from flood irrigation in the high altitude western US," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 232(C).
    2. Ghahroodi, E. Mokari & Noory, H. & Liaghat, A.M., 2015. "Performance evaluation study and hydrologic and productive analysis of irrigation systems at the Qazvin irrigation network (Iran)," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 189-195.
    3. Kaiyong Wang & Pengyan Zhang & Bo Pang, 2018. "Process and Mechanism of Agricultural Irrigation Benefit Allocation Coefficient Based on Emergy Analysis—A Case Study of Henan, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-15, November.

    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. Lecina, S. & Isidoro, D. & Playán, E. & Aragüés, R., 2010. "Irrigation modernization and water conservation in Spain: The case of Riegos del Alto Aragón," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(10), pages 1663-1675, October.
    2. Ghahroodi, E. Mokari & Noory, H. & Liaghat, A.M., 2015. "Performance evaluation study and hydrologic and productive analysis of irrigation systems at the Qazvin irrigation network (Iran)," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 189-195.
    3. 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.
    4. Amarasinghe, Upali A. & Sharma, Bharat R., 2009. "Water productivity of food grains in India: exploring potential improvements," IWMI Books, Reports H042635, International Water Management Institute.
    5. Molden, David & Oweis, Theib & Steduto, Pasquale & Bindraban, Prem & Hanjra, Munir A. & Kijne, Jacob, 2010. "Improving agricultural water productivity: Between optimism and caution," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(4), pages 528-535, April.
    6. Amarasinghe, Upali A. & Sharma, Bharat R., 2009. "Water productivity of food grains in India: exploring potential improvements," Book Chapters,, International Water Management Institute.
    7. Barros, R. & Isidoro, D. & Aragüés, R., 2011. "Long-term water balances in La Violada Irrigation District (Spain): II. Analysis of irrigation performance," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(10), pages 1569-1576, August.
    8. Giordano, Meredith & Turral, H. & Scheierling, S. M. & Treguer, D. O. & McCornick, Peter G, 2017. "Beyond “More Crop per Drop”: evolving thinking on agricultural water productivity," IWMI Research Reports 257962, International Water Management Institute.
    9. Pereira, Luis S. & Cordery, Ian & Iacovides, Iacovos, 2012. "Improved indicators of water use performance and productivity for sustainable water conservation and saving," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 39-51.
    10. Kazem Attar, Hasti & Noory, Hamideh & Ebrahimian, Hamed & Liaghat, Abdol-Majid, 2020. "Efficiency and productivity of irrigation water based on water balance considering quality of return flows," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).
    11. Huang, Feng & Li, Baoguo, 2010. "Assessing grain crop water productivity of China using a hydro-model-coupled-statistics approach: Part I: Method development and validation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(7), pages 1077-1092, July.
    12. Tarjuelo, José M. & Rodriguez-Diaz, Juan A. & Abadía, Ricardo & Camacho, Emilio & Rocamora, Carmen & Moreno, Miguel A., 2015. "Efficient water and energy use in irrigation modernization: Lessons from Spanish case studies," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 67-77.
    13. Salvador, R. & Martínez-Cob, A. & Cavero, J. & Playán, E., 2011. "Seasonal on-farm irrigation performance in the Ebro basin (Spain): Crops and irrigation systems," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(4), pages 577-587, February.
    14. Muthuwatta, L.P. & Rientjes, T.H.M. & Bos, M.G., 2013. "Strategies to increase wheat production in the water scarce Karkheh River Basin, Iran," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 1-10.
    15. Li, Xiaolin & Tong, Ling & Niu, Jun & Kang, Shaozhong & Du, Taisheng & Li, Sien & Ding, Risheng, 2017. "Spatio-temporal distribution of irrigation water productivity and its driving factors for cereal crops in Hexi Corridor, Northwest China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 55-63.
    16. Sharma, Bharat & Molden, D. & Cook, Simon, 2015. "Water use efficiency in agriculture: measurement, current situation and trends," Book Chapters,, International Water Management Institute.
    17. Sharma, Bharat & Molden, D. & Cook, Simon, 2015. "Water use efficiency in agriculture: measurement, current situation and trends," IWMI Books, Reports H046807, International Water Management Institute.
    18. Upali A. Amarasinghe & R.P. S. Malik & Bharat R. Sharma, 2010. "Overcoming growing water scarcity: Exploring potential improvements in water productivity in India," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 34(3), pages 188-199, August.
    19. García-Bolaños, Mariana & Borgia, Cecilia & Poblador, Noemí & Dia, Mamadou & Seyid, Ould Mohamed Vadel & Mateos, Luciano, 2011. "Performance assessment of small irrigation schemes along the Mauritanian banks of the Senegal River," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(7), pages 1141-1152, May.
    20. Mohammad Alauddin & Upali A. Amarasinghe & Bharat R. Sharma, 2014. "Four decades of rice water productivity in Bangladesh: A spatio-temporal analysis of district level panel data," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 51-64.

    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:98:y:2011:i:9:p:1349-1363. 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.