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A multi-objective approach to water and nutrient efficiency for sustainable agricultural intensification

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  • Kropp, Ian
  • Nejadhashemi, A. Pouyan
  • Deb, Kalyanmoy
  • Abouali, Mohammad
  • Roy, Proteek C.
  • Adhikari, Umesh
  • Hoogenboom, Gerrit

Abstract

Sustainable intensification entails increasing the yield of existing agricultural lands while reducing the impact on the environment. Therefore, we sought to optimize irrigation and fertilizer scheduling on the farm level with respects to crop yield and environmental impact. Unlike traditional optimization, multi-objective optimization techniques provide a set of optimal solutions that collectively represent the tradeoffs between the conflicting objectives. As a result, decision makers can then prioritize and select their optimal trade-off from the global set of optimal solutions. To implement such an optimization platform, this study integrates the Unified Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-III (U-NSGA-III) based multi-objective optimization platform with the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer crop model. The U-NSGA-III algorithm optimizes a farm level agricultural production system against a myriad of soil, crop, and climate objectives. With this platform, we were able to find irrigation and nitrogen schemes that reduced water usage by 48%, nitrogen usage by 26%, and nitrogen leaching by 51%.

Suggested Citation

  • Kropp, Ian & Nejadhashemi, A. Pouyan & Deb, Kalyanmoy & Abouali, Mohammad & Roy, Proteek C. & Adhikari, Umesh & Hoogenboom, Gerrit, 2019. "A multi-objective approach to water and nutrient efficiency for sustainable agricultural intensification," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 289-302.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agisys:v:173:y:2019:i:c:p:289-302
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agsy.2019.03.014
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    5. Wang, Yongqiang & Huang, Donghua & Sun, Kexin & Shen, Hongzheng & Xing, Xuguang & Liu, Xiao & Ma, Xiaoyi, 2023. "Multiobjective optimization of regional irrigation and nitrogen schedules by using the CERES-Maize model with crop parameters determined from the remotely sensed leaf area index," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 286(C).
    6. Liu, Huan & Grant, Brian B. & Smith, Ward N. & Porter, Cheryl H. & Cammarano, Davide & Vogeler, Iris & Hoogenboom, Gerrit & Pullens, Johannes W.M. & Olesen, Jørgen E. & Bindi, Marco & Semenov, Mikhail, 2025. "Towards an improved representation of the relationship between root traits and nitrogen losses in process-based models," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).
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    8. Sarkar, Apurbo & Azim, Jony Abdul & Asif, Abdullah Al & Qian, Lu & Peau, Anamika Kor, 2021. "Structural equation modeling for indicators of sustainable agriculture: Prospective of a developing country’s agriculture," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    9. Hao Jin & Shuai Huang, 2021. "Are China’s Water Resources for Agriculture Sustainable? Evidence from Hubei Province," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-17, March.
    10. Chen, Yingshan & Li, Heng & Xu, Yaowen & Fu, Qiang & Wang, Yijia & He, Bing & Li, Mo, 2024. "Sustainable management in irrigation water distribution system under climate change: Process-driven optimization modelling considering water-food-energy-environment synergies," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 302(C).
    11. Alary, Véronique & Messad, Samir & Aboul-Naga, Adel & Osman, Mona A. & H. Abdelsabour, Taha & Salah, Abdel-Aal E. & Juanes, Xavier, 2020. "Multi-criteria assessment of the sustainability of farming systems in the reclaimed desert lands of Egypt," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    12. Karner, Katrin & Schmid, Erwin & Schneider, Uwe A. & Mitter, Hermine, 2021. "Computing stochastic Pareto frontiers between economic and environmental goals for a semi-arid agricultural production region in Austria," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    13. Puertes, Cristina & Bautista, Inmaculada & Lidón, Antonio & Francés, Félix, 2021. "Best management practices scenario analysis to reduce agricultural nitrogen loads and sediment yield to the semiarid Mar Menor coastal lagoon (Spain)," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).

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