Iranian Journal of Irrigation & Drainage

Iranian Journal of Irrigation & Drainage

Optimization of Agricultural Cultivation Area with Emphasis on Water and Food Security

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
samire raisi sarhadi 1
Ommolbanin bazrafshan 2
Hadi Ramezani Etidali 3
Esmaeil Previous domain 4
Marzieh Rezaei 5
1 PhD student - Natural Resources Engineering Group, Hormozgan University
2 University of Hormozgan
3 Professor, Department of Water Science and Engineering, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran.
4 Assistant Professor, Agricultural Engineering Research Department, South Kerman Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Jiroft, Iran
5 Natural Resources Engineering Group, Hormozgan University, Bandar Abbas, Iran
10.22034/idj.2025.535271.2612
Abstract
This study aimed to optimize the agricultural cultivation area in Jiroft, by integrating the Water Footprint (WF) framework and nutritional value (caloric output). The research was conducted in two phases. First, the water footprint of potatoes (the region's key crop) was assessed under 18 distinct management treatments. These treatments combined different levels of irrigation (100% (WL1), 90% (WL2), and 80% (WL3) of crop water requirement), irrigation methods (surface drip (IM1) and subsurface drip (IM2)), and nitrogen fertilization levels (100% (F1), 60% (F2), and 40% (F3) of the optimal requirement). Based on the results, among these treatments, the combination of 90% irrigation using the surface drip method with 60% nitrogen fertilizer (WL2IM1F2) was identified as the most water-sustainable practice for potato cultivation. This treatment achieved the lowest total water footprint (197.50 m³/ton) and the highest water productivity (7.39 kg/m³). Subsequently, this optimal potato treatment was integrated with other staple crops (onion, watermelon, wheat, corn, tomato) into a Linear Programming (LP) optimization model for the county's overall cropping pattern. Under the first scenario (minimizing water footprint), optimization of the cropping pattern led to a 34.6% reduction in total water consumption while simultaneously increasing total production by 26.7%. This was achieved primarily by expanding the cultivation of crops with a low water footprint, such as onions and watermelons. The second scenario (maximizing caloric output) resulted in an 11.9% increase in total calorie production by increasing the area allocated to crops with high caloric yield, particularly potatoes (using the WL2IM1F2 treatment) and maize. The findings demonstrate that a combined dual approach that integrates water footprint and caloric productivity criteria can effectively balance water conservation and food security objectives.
Keywords
Footprint of water
Energy footprint
Potato
ELP
WUE
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Iranian Journal of Irrigation & Drainage
Volume 19, Issue 6 - Serial Number 115
March and April 2026
Pages 910-923