Investigating the Impact of Different Scenarios of On‐Farm Water Management on Performance Measures
Mohammad Mehdi Moghimi, Atefeh Moghaddam, Mohammad Reza MahmoudiABSTRACT
Efficient irrigation water management is vital in arid regions, where water scarcity and rising costs threaten farm profitability. This study evaluates how irrigation application efficiency ( E a ), applied water fraction (AWF) and irrigation water cost (IWC) affect the economic water productivity ratio (EWPR) and net income (NI) for grain maize (maize), fodder corn, cotton and tomato in the Ghareh‐Bolagh Plain, Iran. Using crop‐specific water‐yield functions and cubic regression analysis across wet, normal and dry conditions, the results show that E a and AWF positively influence EWPR and NI, while IWC has a consistent negative effect. Water cost is the dominant factor for EWPR in maize, fodder corn and cotton, whereas tomato EWPR is mainly controlled by the E a –AWF interaction. NI is most influenced by the E a –AWF interaction for maize and fodder corn, by the AWF linearly for cotton, and by the AWF cubically for tomato. Optimal outcomes occur under high efficiency and low water cost, with crop‐specific deficit levels. The study underscores the need to integrate efficiency improvements, deficit irrigation and water pricing to boost both water productivity and profitability in water‐scarce regions.