Enhancing Equitable Water Distribution in Agriculture: A Novel Optimal Framework for Irrigation Equity Index Improvement Under Diverse Adaptation Strategies

The implementation of conventional supply-based mechanisms, in which the allocation of irrigation water entitlement for individual farmers is determined by their specific water requirements, has resulted in the inefficiency of economic processes and the squandering of water resources. This paper introduces a new dynamic bi-objective equity framework within an irrigation system. The framework aims to minimize the disparity of water supply per net benefit at the upper level and optimize the disparity of water shortage at the lower level. In order to obtain a feasible and satisfactory outcome, the study considers the use of fuzzy goal programming and Improved Particle Swarm Optimization (IBPSO) to analyze the initial data gathered from Sistan Basin, a real arid area in Iran. The uncertainty surrounding inflow, planting area, and irrigation coefficient has presented potential challenges for the irrigation process. As a result, new adaptation measures are being explored to mitigate the effects of these challenges. The following study examines the equity of the irrigation system under various scenarios in light of the anticipated deterioration of climatic patterns in the coming years, and offers constructive insights. The final results indicate that watermelon has the highest water consumption, whereas grapes exhibit lower sensitivity to water availability. The adoption of adaptation strategies, such as transitioning from water-intensive and low-value watermelon cultivation to alternative crops like wheat, could significantly enhance water conservation efforts in arid and semi-arid regions.