IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v237y2020ics0378377419317019.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Water use indicators and economic analysis for on-farm irrigation decision: A case study of a super high density olive tree orchard

Author

Listed:
  • Fernández, J.E.
  • Alcon, F.
  • Diaz-Espejo, A.
  • Hernandez-Santana, V.
  • Cuevas, M.V.

Abstract

Increasing the efficiency of on-farm water use requires wise decisions on the irrigation system, the irrigation strategy and the method to schedule irrigation, among other factors related to water management. Since the early 2000s, the water productivity approach has been widely used to address this issue. It provides useful indicators to both the biophysical water productivity and the economic performance of irrigation. Analysis of the literature, however, shows both confusion on the use of terms and lack of agreement on the equations. We have addressed the rational use of the water productivity approach for the irrigator to improve both biophysical and economic water productivity at the field scale. We also addressed the increasing use of the water footprint approach at the field scale. The literature shows a lack of consensus on the reliability of the conceptual framework behind that approach. We focused on its potential for irrigation decision making, and concluded that it is not advantageous, as compared to the water productivity approach, for assessing on-farm water use. In addition, we show a case study of a super high density olive orchard which analyses the joint use of economic water productivity indicators and both production and profit functions to improve decision making.

Suggested Citation

  • Fernández, J.E. & Alcon, F. & Diaz-Espejo, A. & Hernandez-Santana, V. & Cuevas, M.V., 2020. "Water use indicators and economic analysis for on-farm irrigation decision: A case study of a super high density olive tree orchard," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 237(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:237:y:2020:i:c:s0378377419317019
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106074
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377419317019
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106074?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. Molden, D., 1997. "Accounting for water use and productivity," IWMI Books, Reports H021374, International Water Management Institute.
    2. 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.
    3. Barker, Randolph & Dawe, D. & Inocencio, A., 2003. "Economics of water productivity in managing water for agriculture," Book Chapters,, International Water Management Institute.
    4. 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.
    5. 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.
    6. Arjen Y. Hoekstra, 2017. "Water Footprint Assessment: Evolvement of a New Research Field," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 31(10), pages 3061-3081, August.
    7. Jonas Jägermeyr & Amandine Pastor & Hester Biemans & Dieter Gerten, 2017. "Reconciling irrigated food production with environmental flows for Sustainable Development Goals implementation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-9, August.
    8. Bouman, B. A.M., 2007. "A conceptual framework for the improvement of crop water productivity at different spatial scales," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 93(1-3), pages 43-60, March.
    9. Sharma, Bharat & Molden, D. & Cook, Simon, 2015. "Water use efficiency in agriculture: measurement, current situation and trends," Book Chapters,, International Water Management Institute.
    10. Alcon, Francisco & Tapsuwan, Sorada & Martínez-Paz, José M. & Brouwer, Roy & de Miguel, María D., 2014. "Forecasting deficit irrigation adoption using a mixed stakeholder assessment methodology," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 183-193.
    11. Manning, Dale T. & Lurbé, Salvador & Comas, Louise H. & Trout, Thomas J. & Flynn, Nora & Fonte, Steven J., 2018. "Economic viability of deficit irrigation in the Western US," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 114-123.
    12. Egea, Gregorio & Fernández, José E. & Alcon, Francisco, 2017. "Financial assessment of adopting irrigation technology for plant-based regulated deficit irrigation scheduling in super high-density olive orchards," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 47-56.
    13. Padilla-Díaz, C.M. & Rodriguez-Dominguez, C.M. & Hernandez-Santana, V. & Perez-Martin, A. & Fernandes, R.D.M. & Montero, A. & García, J.M. & Fernández, J.E., 2018. "Water status, gas exchange and crop performance in a super high density olive orchard under deficit irrigation scheduled from leaf turgor measurements," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 241-252.
    14. Perry, Chris, 2011. "Accounting for water use: Terminology and implications for saving water and increasing production," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(12), pages 1840-1846, October.
    15. 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.
    16. Araya, A. & Gowda, P.H. & Golden, B. & Foster, A.J. & Aguilar, J. & Currie, R. & Ciampitti, I.A. & Prasad, P.V.V., 2019. "Economic value and water productivity of major irrigated crops in the Ogallala aquifer region," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 214(C), pages 55-63.
    17. Alberto Garrido & M. Ramón Llamas & Consuelo Varela-Ortega & Paula Novo & Roberto Rodríguez-Casado & Maite M. Aldaya, 2010. "Water Footprint and Virtual Water Trade in Spain," Natural Resource Management and Policy, Springer, number 978-1-4419-5741-2, March.
    18. Knox, J.W. & Kay, M.G. & Weatherhead, E.K., 2012. "Water regulation, crop production, and agricultural water management—Understanding farmer perspectives on irrigation efficiency," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 3-8.
    19. 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.
    20. 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.
    21. Drechsel, Pay & Heffer, P. & Magen, H. & Mikkelsen, R. & Wichelns, D., 2015. "Managing water and fertilizer for sustainable agricultural intensification," IWMI Books, Reports H046805, International Water Management Institute.
    22. Rodriguez-Dominguez, C.M. & Ehrenberger, W. & Sann, C. & Rüger, S. & Sukhorukov, V. & Martín-Palomo, M.J. & Diaz-Espejo, A. & Cuevas, M.V. & Torres-Ruiz, J.M. & Perez-Martin, A. & Zimmermann, U. & Fer, 2012. "Concomitant measurements of stem sap flow and leaf turgor pressure in olive trees using the leaf patch clamp pressure probe," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 50-58.
    23. 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.
    24. Petra Hellegers & Richard Soppe & Chris Perry & Wim Bastiaanssen, 2010. "Remote Sensing and Economic Indicators for Supporting Water Resources Management Decisions," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 24(11), pages 2419-2436, September.
    25. Padilla-Díaz, C.M. & Rodriguez-Dominguez, C.M. & Hernandez-Santana, V. & Perez-Martin, A. & Fernández, J.E., 2016. "Scheduling regulated deficit irrigation in a hedgerow olive orchard from leaf turgor pressure related measurements," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 164(P1), pages 28-37.
    26. Sorrell, Steve, 2009. "Jevons' Paradox revisited: The evidence for backfire from improved energy efficiency," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 1456-1469, April.
    27. Diaz-Espejo, A. & Buckley, T.N. & Sperry, J.S. & Cuevas, M.V. & de Cires, A. & Elsayed-Farag, S. & Martin-Palomo, M.J. & Muriel, J.L. & Perez-Martin, A. & Rodriguez-Dominguez, C.M. & Rubio-Casal, A.E., 2012. "Steps toward an improvement in process-based models of water use by fruit trees: A case study in olive," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 37-49.
    28. Sickles,Robin C. & Zelenyuk,Valentin, 2019. "Measurement of Productivity and Efficiency," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107036161, January.
    29. Perry, Chris, 2014. "Water footprints: Path to enlightenment, or false trail?," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 119-125.
    30. Paredes, Paula & D’Agostino, Daniela & Assif, Mahdi & Todorovic, Mladen & Pereira, Luis S., 2018. "Assessing potato transpiration, yield and water productivity under various water regimes and planting dates using the FAO dual Kc approach," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 11-24.
    31. Francisco Alcon & Julia Martin-Ortega & Francisco Pedrero & Juan Alarcon & M. Miguel, 2013. "Incorporating Non-market Benefits of Reclaimed Water into Cost-Benefit Analysis: A Case Study of Irrigated Mandarin Crops in southern Spain," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 27(6), pages 1809-1820, April.
    32. van Halsema, Gerardo E. & Vincent, Linden, 2012. "Efficiency and productivity terms for water management: A matter of contextual relativism versus general absolutism," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 9-15.
    33. English, Marshall & Raja, Syed Navaid, 1996. "Perspectives on deficit irrigation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 1-14, November.
    34. Berbel, J. & Mateos, L., 2014. "Does investment in irrigation technology necessarily generate rebound effects? A simulation analysis based on an agro-economic model," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 25-34.
    35. 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.
    36. 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.
    37. Hernandez-Santana, V. & Fernández, J.E. & Cuevas, M.V. & Perez-Martin, A. & Diaz-Espejo, A., 2017. "Photosynthetic limitations by water deficit: Effect on fruit and olive oil yield, leaf area and trunk diameter and its potential use to control vegetative growth of super-high density olive orchards," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 9-18.
    38. Drechsel, Pay & Heffer, P. & Magen, H. & Mikkelsen, R. & Wichelns, D., 2015. "Managing water and fertilizer for sustainable agricultural intensification," IWMI Books, International Water Management Institute, number 208412.
    39. Luis Santos Pereira, 2017. "Water, Agriculture and Food: Challenges and Issues," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 31(10), pages 2985-2999, August.
    40. Sepaskhah, A.R. & Azizian, A. & Tavakoli, A.R., 2006. "Optimal applied water and nitrogen for winter wheat under variable seasonal rainfall and planning scenarios for consequent crops in a semi-arid region," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 84(1-2), pages 113-122, July.
    41. Juan F. Velasco-Muñoz & José A. Aznar-Sánchez & Luis J. Belmonte-Ureña & Isabel M. Román-Sánchez, 2018. "Sustainable Water Use in Agriculture: A Review of Worldwide Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-18, April.
    42. Molden, David J., 1997. "Accounting for water use and productivity," IWMI Books, International Water Management Institute, number 113623.
    43. Maisa’a W. Shammout & Tala Qtaishat & Hala Rawabdeh & Muhammad Shatanawi, 2018. "Improving Water Use Efficiency under Deficit Irrigation in the Jordan Valley," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-12, November.
    44. Paredes, Paula & Rodrigues, Gonçalo C. & Cameira, Maria do Rosário & Torres, Maria Odete & Pereira, Luis S., 2017. "Assessing yield, water productivity and farm economic returns of malt barley as influenced by the sowing dates and supplemental irrigation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 132-143.
    45. Nascimento, A.K & Schwartz, R.C. & Lima, F.A & López-Mata, E. & Domínguez, A. & Izquiel, A. & Tarjuelo, J.M & Martínez-Romero, A, 2019. "Effects of irrigation uniformity on yield response and production economics of maize in a semiarid zone," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 178-189.
    46. Boelens, Rutgerd & Vos, Jeroen, 2012. "The danger of naturalizing water policy concepts: Water productivity and efficiency discourses from field irrigation to virtual water trade," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 16-26.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. 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.
    2. Uygan, Demet & Cetin, Oner & Alveroglu, Volkan & Sofuoglu, Aytug, 2021. "Improvement of water saving and economic productivity based on quotation with sugar content of sugar beet using linear move sprinkler irrigation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 255(C).
    3. Nguyen Bich Hong & Mitsuyasu Yabe, 2017. "Improvement in irrigation water use efficiency: a strategy for climate change adaptation and sustainable development of Vietnamese tea production," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 1247-1263, August.
    4. Çetin, Oner & Kara, Abdurrahman, 2019. "Assesment of water productivity using different drip irrigation systems for cotton," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 223(C), pages 1-1.
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. Hossain, Istiaque & Alam, Md. Mahmudul & Siwar, Chamhuri & Bin Mokhtar, Mazlin, 2019. "Measurement of Water Productivity in Seasonal Floodplain Beel Area," SocArXiv q3ayc, Center for Open Science.
    8. Monaco, Federica & Sali, Guido, 2018. "How water amounts and management options drive Irrigation Water Productivity of rice. A multivariate analysis based on field experiment data," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 47-57.
    9. Zhou, Qing & Zhang, Yali & Wu, Feng, 2021. "Evaluation of the most proper management scale on water use efficiency and water productivity: A case study of the Heihe River Basin, China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    10. Nektarios N. Kourgialas & Georgios Psarras & Giasemi Morianou & Vassilios Pisinaras & Georgios Koubouris & Nektaria Digalaki & Stella Malliaraki & Katerina Aggelaki & Georgios Motakis & George Arampat, 2022. "Good Agricultural Practices Related to Water and Soil as a Means of Adaptation of Mediterranean Olive Growing to Extreme Climate-Water Conditions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-16, October.
    11. 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.
    12. Jovanovic, N. & Pereira, L.S. & Paredes, P. & Pôças, I. & Cantore, V. & Todorovic, M., 2020. "A review of strategies, methods and technologies to reduce non-beneficial consumptive water use on farms considering the FAO56 methods," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 239(C).
    13. 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.
    14. Eric Njuki & Boris E. Bravo-Ureta, 2019. "Examining irrigation productivity in U.S. agriculture using a single-factor approach," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 51(2), pages 125-136, June.
    15. Susanne Scheierling & David O. Treguer & James F. Booker, 2016. "Water Productivity in Agriculture: Looking for Water in the Agricultural Productivity and Efficiency Literature," Water Economics and Policy (WEP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 2(03), pages 1-33, September.
    16. van der Kooij, Saskia & Zwarteveen, Margreet & Boesveld, Harm & Kuper, Marcel, 2013. "The efficiency of drip irrigation unpacked," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 103-110.
    17. 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.
    18. Bluemling, Bettina & Yang, Hong & Pahl-Wostl, Claudia, 2007. "Making water productivity operational--A concept of agricultural water productivity exemplified at a wheat-maize cropping pattern in the North China plain," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 91(1-3), pages 11-23, July.
    19. Padilla-Díaz, C.M. & Rodriguez-Dominguez, C.M. & Hernandez-Santana, V. & Perez-Martin, A. & Fernandes, R.D.M. & Montero, A. & García, J.M. & Fernández, J.E., 2018. "Water status, gas exchange and crop performance in a super high density olive orchard under deficit irrigation scheduled from leaf turgor measurements," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 241-252.
    20. Lankford, Bruce, 2012. "Fictions, fractions, factorials and fractures; on the framing of irrigation efficiency," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 27-38.

    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:237:y:2020:i:c:s0378377419317019. 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.