Agricultural Economics
H. Mehmandoost; A. Sargazi; A. Keikha; S. Ziaee; A. Sani Heidary
Abstract
Introduction
This research investigates the capacities and factors influencing entrepreneurship development in the rural areas of Hamun County. Given the importance of entrepreneurship in creating employment, reducing poverty, and improving the quality of life in rural regions, identifying and analyzing ...
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Introduction
This research investigates the capacities and factors influencing entrepreneurship development in the rural areas of Hamun County. Given the importance of entrepreneurship in creating employment, reducing poverty, and improving the quality of life in rural regions, identifying and analyzing key factors in this context is essential. The significance of rural entrepreneurship lies not only in its potential to stimulate local economies but also in its ability to foster social cohesion and community development. As highlighted by Petrin (1992), entrepreneurship serves as a central force for economic growth in rural areas, and without it, other developmental efforts may prove ineffective. Thus, understanding the dynamics of rural entrepreneurship is crucial for policymakers and stakeholders aiming to enhance the livelihoods of rural communities. In light of the challenges and opportunities present in rural entrepreneurship, this article aims to identify effective factors influencing entrepreneurial development while reviewing existing literature. By categorizing these factors into human and individual, infrastructural, cultural, economic, and social dimensions, the study seeks to provide a comprehensive analysis that can inform future initiatives aimed at strengthening entrepreneurship in these areas. The findings are expected to offer practical recommendations for enhancing the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Hamun County.
Materials and Methods
The present study utilized a stratified random sampling method, involving 278 entrepreneurs and individuals active in rural business sectors. The research categorized influential factors into six primary groups: human and individual factors, infrastructural factors, cultural factors, economic factors, and social factors. Data analysis was conducted using Stata and Excel software to model relationships among these variables effectively. This structured approach allows for a nuanced understanding of how different factors contribute to or hinder entrepreneurial development in rural contexts.
Results and Discussion
The results indicate that "government support and subsidies for production," "income," and "diversification of rural products" play significant roles in explaining and influencing entrepreneurial behavior from an economic development perspective. In terms of cultural and social aspects, "experience," "consultation and support services," "awareness levels," and "interest in village improvement" were found to have substantial impacts on entrepreneurial behavior. From an infrastructural standpoint, "access to services and facilities" along with "access to a dynamic rural environment" emerged as critical determinants explaining the variance among extracted factors. Furthermore, regarding individual aspects of entrepreneurial development, findings revealed that "motivation," "education," "psychological resilience," and "management creativity" significantly contribute to explaining variations in behavior among entrepreneurs. The results indicated that among various influencing factors on entrepreneurship development, economic factors, cultural and social factors, institutional and educational factors, as well as infrastructural factors had positive and significant effects on the likelihood of individuals achieving high levels of entrepreneurial motivation.
Conclusion
Among the identified indicators, government support and subsidies for production had a more substantial impact on income levels while diversification of rural products significantly influenced entrepreneurial behavior from an economic development perspective. In terms of cultural and social dimensions, experience, consultation services, awareness levels, and interest in village improvement were crucial for explaining variations in entrepreneurial behavior. From an infrastructural perspective, access to services and facilities alongside access to a dynamic rural environment played a decisive role in explaining the variance among extracted factors. Finally, individual development aspects revealed that motivation, education, psychological resilience, and management creativity significantly contributed to variations in behavior among entrepreneurs. The findings suggest that within the studied villages—specifically Mohammadabad, Ali Akbar Town, Dek Dehmardeh Town, Sanjoli Town, Mir Town, Bandei Town, and Kermani—there are ideal conditions for entrepreneurship compared to other assessed villages. Furthermore, using an ordered logit model revealed that economic indicators along with cultural-social factors significantly influence individuals' motivations for entrepreneurship. This expanded introduction provides a comprehensive overview of your research topic while highlighting its significance within the broader context of rural entrepreneurship development.
Agricultural Economics
E. Ahani; S. Ziaee; H. Mohammadi; M. Mardani Najafabadi; A. Mirzaei
Abstract
IntroductionWith the growing population of the world, water, food and energy supply will be one of the most important challenges ahead. Agriculture as the most important food producer is not only the consumer of water and energy, but also the most important supplier of energy. As a result, a balance ...
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IntroductionWith the growing population of the world, water, food and energy supply will be one of the most important challenges ahead. Agriculture as the most important food producer is not only the consumer of water and energy, but also the most important supplier of energy. As a result, a balance must be struck between harvesting and exploitation of production resources and the amount of agricultural production. Due to the close relationship between water-food-energy systems and also their interaction with each other, a new concept called the “nexus” approach has been proposed which refers to the integrated nature and interactions of water-food-energy planning. This approach has provided suitable options for political decision makers, managers and planners in order to conserve existing resources and achieve sustainable development.Material and MethodsIn this study, we have tried to introduce a mathematical programming model using multi-objective mathematical programming (MOP) technique for water-food-energy nexus that has the ability to process managerial decisions. In this model, in addition to examining the economic aspect, the control of greenhouse gas emissions has also been investigated. The regions of Mashhad, Chenaran and Torqabeh-Shandiz are the most important regions in the study area of Mashhad province in the production of crops. The data required for the study were collected through review of reports and agricultural statistical yearbooks of the year 2020-2021 and interviews with experts in each region and through consulting engineering companies. The hypothetical model under study includes lands covered by crops of Mashhad, Chenaran and Torqabeh-Shandiz. In this model, the water needed to irrigate crops is supplied from surface and groundwater sources. Electricity (electricity consumption) is used to collect and pump of irrigation water, produce food, and supply the domestic and industrial sectors. In the process of generating electricity, production of food, irrigation of crops and consumption of fertilizers and pesticides, greenhouse gases are emitted, especially CO2. In this study, 6 objectives including: maximizing gross profit, maximizing the production of calories from food, minimizing emission of greenhouse gases, minimizing consumption of fertilizers and pesticides, minimizing consumption of irrigation water, and minimizing consumption of energy have been pursued. Results and DiscussionThe results of the proposed model showed that the rate of change in the level of cultivation area in MOP compared to the current cultivation pattern in Mashhad, Chenaran and Torqabeh-Shandiz decreased by 25.92%, 53.05% and 55.88%, respectively. The level of optimal cultivation for barley in Mashhad in order to maximize net profit objective increased by 16934 hectares (46.71%) and its maximizing caloric production equal to 8484 ha, which has decreased compared to the current pattern (22%). The cultivation area of barley in minimum irrigation water consumption decreased by 10877 hectares (1.11%) and in other minimization objectives it changed to 12892 hectares which increased by 17% in Mashhad region. Wheat, barley, alfalfa, corn, sugar beet, tomato and potato have the highest decrease in cultivation area in the MOP among crops. The total area of optimal cultivation in the net profit maximization model of Mashhad, Chenaran and Torqabeh-Shandiz equal to 48639, 26027 and 75 hectares, which showed an increase of 41.4%, 11.61% and 55.8%, respectively. Furthermore, in the model aimed at minimizing energy, irrigation water, fertilizer, pesticide consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions, the recommended cultivation areas are as follows: 25,475 hectares for energy consumption, 15,954 hectares for irrigation water consumption, and 100 hectares each for fertilizer consumption, pesticide consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions. These figures clearly indicate the need to reduce the cultivation area dedicated to agricultural products that have a significant environmental impact. Consequently, it is crucial to alter the cultivation pattern and adopt a strategy that focuses on producing crops with a lower environmental impact. By implementing this strategy, the objective is to cultivate crops that require less energy, irrigation water, fertilizer, and pesticides, while also minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. This approach aims to mitigate the environmental footprint associated with agricultural practices. By reducing the cultivation area for crops that have high environmental effects and transitioning towards crops that have a lesser impact on the environment, it is possible to achieve a more sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural system.ConclusionThe purpose of this study was to propose a nonlinear multi-objective mathematical programming model with water-food-energy nexus approach for crops in Mashhad province. In this study, in addition to economic relations, energy and environmental issues (greenhouse gas emissions) were also analyzed. The various components of the water-food-energy nexus, including energy supply planning, water supply and demand, food production, and control of greenhouse gas emissions, were modeled. The results showed that considering the MOP model based on economic and environmental objectives, the area under cultivation of wheat, barley, alfalfa, tomatoes, sugar beets and potatoes has significantly decreased. In other words, in order to achieve the objectives of maximum profit and minimum environmental impact, the area under wheat, barley, tomato, corn should be reduced and the area under cucumber, onion, potato and sugar beet should be increased. According to the results of this study, the following suggestions are presented:- Implementation of the proposed optimal model of water-food-energy nexus allows farmers to simultaneously maintain economic income, environmental considerations, optimal and sustainable consumption of resources (water-food-energy) to select and consider suitable policies. So, it will only be a sustainable policy if it can be built within the combined framework of water, food, energy and the environment. In order to minimize the emission of greenhouse gases and its damage to the environment, the area under cultivation of agricultural products that have high environmental impact should be reduced, and in contrast to changes in cultivation pattern, the strategy to produce crops with less impact. Therefore, by developing a cropping pattern model, the productivity of the production capacities of the agricultural sector can be maximized and at the same time the damages and destructive consequences of crop production can be reduced.
Agricultural Economics
H. Sakhdari; S. Ziaee; M. Ahmadpour Borazjani; H. Mohammadi
Abstract
Khorasan Razavi Province suffers from the most critical groundwater resources in Iran, i.e. the groundwater decline has reached 1 m; 34 out of 37 water plains are banned in Khorasan Razavi Province. Recently, Mashhad plain has been fighting with the crisis of drought and water scarcity. Illegal harvesting ...
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Khorasan Razavi Province suffers from the most critical groundwater resources in Iran, i.e. the groundwater decline has reached 1 m; 34 out of 37 water plains are banned in Khorasan Razavi Province. Recently, Mashhad plain has been fighting with the crisis of drought and water scarcity. Illegal harvesting from groundwater resources and the warming trend caused by change in climate have exacerbated the crisis. Comprehensive water resources management, assuming the complicated nature of water-related issues, rapid growth of population, water requirement for a variety of purposes, and limited water resources, requires novel methods to stack up technical, economic, environmental, social, and logical perspectives in an integrated forum. One of the tools for comprehensive water resources management is utilizing hydro-economic models to simulate the present status of drainage basins and evaluate the impacts of different scenarios and policies. The current study used a hydro-economic model to simulate the hydrological status of Mashhad plain and evaluate the impacts of different scenarios. Then, the agent-based model (ABM) was used in order to reach an agreement with stakeholders on executing different conservation scenarios. The hydro-economic model results revealed that reducing the water demand of the agricultural sector and, as a result, surface and groundwater consumption is possible through following adaptation scenarios. Implementing various adaptation scenarios may alter the present cultivation pattern. Moreover, the ABM results showed a significant difference between the volume of available water, due to the execution of strategies, and water demand, bringing about the lack of farmers’ cooperation regarding the implementation of conservation scenarios. However, through applying some incentive policies, a number of representative farmers may agree to pursue adaptation scenarios.
H. Kavand; S. Ziaee; M. Mardani Najafabadi
Abstract
Introduction: The increase in water demand and the expansion of water pollution due to the development of agricultural, urban and industrial activities have led to a serious risk of water quality in many places. Therefore, its rational and logical management has become very difficult and complicated. ...
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Introduction: The increase in water demand and the expansion of water pollution due to the development of agricultural, urban and industrial activities have led to a serious risk of water quality in many places. Therefore, its rational and logical management has become very difficult and complicated. In recent decades, concerns about water pollution from agricultural activities and its consequences have been growing. The existing regulations are not sufficient to limit the water pollution of the agricultural sector and to achieve the desired environmental consequences. Thus, economic tools have increasingly been proposed as an affordable way to limit pollution. Therefore, the side effects of water consumption in agriculture are vital issues for controlling and managing water pollution. The recent challenges in water resources of the Zayandehroud basin have led to the fact that this area has not been safe from water pollution and also the supply of high quality water is a major challenge in this basin. Therefore, providing a purposeful cropping pattern by reducing the side effects of water pollution caused by agricultural activities for the Zayandehroud basin can play an effective role in the quantitative and qualitative management of watershed resources.Materials and Methods: In this study, the water resources management system of Zayandehroud basin has been modeled based on a multi-objective programming model. This model includes hydrological functions, land allocation, resource transfer and exploitation capacities, and the objective function is to maximize the net present value of the total benefits at the basin level. Also, the amount of water available in different sub-basins, the crop yield and net water requirements was simulated using the WEAP model for the 2040 horizon. This data was used as input in the economic model. In the next step, the side effects of water pollution are estimated and internalized in the economic model using permissible limit of water pollution in constraint and the cost of water pollution in the objective function. The mechanism designed to internalize the side effects of water pollution is simulated using the SWAT model and added to the integrated water management model of the basin as environmental constraint and cost of nitrate losses in objective function. Therefore, by comparing the results of these two models, it is possible to evaluate the internalization of the side effects of water pollution on farmers' livelihoods and the cropping pattern in the basin.Results and Discussion: Cropping pattern under basic conditions was applied in WEAP software for different regions. Yield and net water requirements of products were simulated using MABIA tools. The results were extracted by each region and then estimated at basin level. The results of the optimal cropping pattern after simulating the hydrological parameters of the basin showed that the gross margin compared to the current conditions for Najafabad, North Mahyar, Lenjanat, Kuhpayeh-Segzi, Isfahan-Borkhar and Ben-Saman regions was 14, 5, 15,18, 15 and 20 million Rials per hectare, respectively. The increase in the share of irrigation technologies in the economic model compared to the current model for Najafabad, Lenjanat, Kuhpayeh-Segzi, Isfahan-Borkhar and Ben-Saman regions was 40, 57, 35, 45 and 91 percent, respectively.Therefore, it can be expected that by changing the cropping pattern and also increasing the use of new irrigation systems, it is possible to improve the livelihood of farmers in the basin according to the current and future hydrological conditions. But these changes have increased the side effects of pollution on the basin. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a model that, in addition to improving the benefit, also reduces the cost of nitrate losses. The results of the optimal bioeconomic model indicate that with the application of this model, the rate of gross margin and the cost of nitrate losses have been obtained at 58 and 28 million Rials per hectare, respectively. Comparison of this model and the optimal economic model shows that farmers' gross margin and nitrate losses have decreased about 3 and 2 million Rials per hectare, respectively. Comparison of the current and optimal bioeconomic model also shows that while improving the gross margin by 12 million Rials, the rate of nitrate losses below the allowable level in the basin can be realized.Conclusion: Zayandehroud basin is one of the most important watersheds in the country, which is facing the challenge of quantitative and qualitative water shortages. The main purpose of this study is to quantitatively and qualitatively manage water resources and evaluate the consequences of internalizing the side effects of water pollution on this type of management. The results of the study showed that using the optimal economic cropping pattern will increase the farmers' gross margin and improve their livelihoods. Also, comparing the results of the economic model with the multi-objective bioeconomic model showed that considering the side effects of water resources pollution in some areas is effective and in others is ineffective. Therefore, it is recommended that in future studies, considering the effective role of different policies in the field of water resources quality, the effects of different scenarios of climate change, drought, population growth, etc. be examined and analyzed.
F. Salehi Rezaabadi; M. Salarpour; M. Mardani Najafabadi; S. Ziaee
Abstract
Introduction: Excessive extraction and depletion of groundwater aquifers and critical water status in more than 120 plains of the country have resulted in decreased water quality. In addition, the productivity of agricultural water of Iran in different years is on average lower than other countries. ...
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Introduction: Excessive extraction and depletion of groundwater aquifers and critical water status in more than 120 plains of the country have resulted in decreased water quality. In addition, the productivity of agricultural water of Iran in different years is on average lower than other countries. The results of most salinity studies show that high concentrations of salt in soil solution have significantly reduced the yield of crops and horticultural products in the country. More profitability and high market value of pistachio crops in comparison with other crops has led to many efforts by Kerman farmers to develop pistachio groves. Various studies show that over- extraction of groundwater resources in Kerman province and decreasing water quality of wells and consequently increasing salinity has reduced root growth and crop yield. In the present study, economic analysis of the effects of quantitative and qualitative changes of water in different scenarios on concepts such as yield, cropping pattern, water consumption and productivity and gross profit of farmers in major county of Kerman province has been investigated.Materials and Methods: To achieve the goals of present study, we first obtained the salinity-water-yield function for each product. Then, by regarding this function in the positive mathematical programming model, the effect of different scenarios including changing water salinity level and changing water supply, on factors such as water productivity, crop yield, cropping pattern and gross profit of farmers especially pistachio growers are analyzed and investigated. In this regard, scenarios of 15% reduction of available water resources in different regions and increase of one salinity unit individually in combination with the above mentioned indicators are evaluated by conducting positive mathematical programming model and are identified by studied areas.Results and Discussion: Investigation of the data reveals that discharge of aquifers is higher for recharge in all studied areas and consequently reduction of groundwater level has occurred. The result shows that the yield sensitivity of pistachio and barley crops to one unit soil salinity is lower than other crops. However, the highest yield loss as a result of increasing one unit in soil salinity as a scenario for canola and potato crops is 13 and 12 percent, respectively. Due to the decrease in quality and quantity of water resources, the total area under cultivation has decreased, with the lowest and highest reduction being in Kerman and Rafsanjan County, respectively. The results show that the scenario of 15% reduction in available water resources would just increases the area of Bardsir and leads to a decrease in one cubic meter economic productivity for other areas. On the other hand, by applying all three scenarios including decrease in quantity and quality of water resources, gross margin and water use will be reduced due to the decrease in the cultivated area of high yield and water based crops such as alfalfa and pistachio in Kerman region. Also, the results indicate that for all studied areas, increase in salinity by one unit has the most negative effect on economic productivity of one cubic meter of water consumption. In addition, the results reveal that decreasing the quality of water resources due to the increase in salinity encouraged the pistachio growers to cultivate less pistachio crop which would result in reducing their gross profit. Also, decreasing the quality of water resources caused by one unit increase in water salinity has a negative effect on the gross margin (gross profit) of farmers in different regions. This is mainly due to reduction in total area of cultivated pistachio in Rafsanjan County.Conclusion: In general, decreasing the quantity and quality of water resources will cause irreparable damages to the agricultural economy of all studied areas except Bardsir. Therefore, it is vital to adopt appropriate policies to control the quantity and quality of water resources so improving livelihoods and water demand management in the pistachio areas of the province. The increasing salinity poses a serious challenge to the economic productivity of water use and water resources management in Rafsanjan, applying economic productivity improvement tools, such as the use of modern irrigation systems or crop pattern reform strategies and product insurance can be effective in boosting gross margin.
M. Mardani Najafabadi; A.R. Nikooie; S. Ziaee; M. Ahmadpour Borazjani
Abstract
Introduction: The importance and necessity of regional analysis of cropping pattern could be due to the need of regional balance and present strategies to achieve balance in decision making and allocation of agricultural production resources. The regional planning is a systematic attempt to choose the ...
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Introduction: The importance and necessity of regional analysis of cropping pattern could be due to the need of regional balance and present strategies to achieve balance in decision making and allocation of agricultural production resources. The regional planning is a systematic attempt to choose the best available methods in order to achieve a specific goal in a region. Agriculture planning problems are important from both social and economic viewpoints. They involve a complex interaction of nature and economics. Due to the increase of population, there is always a need for more production to meet the ever increasing demand. One way of achieving high productivity is to increase the area under cultivation. Third -world countries like Iran losing land due to population growth. Agricultural planning problems in terms of social, environmental, and economic issues are important. Decision making in agriculture is generally complicated so that farmers are facing very often conflicting objectives. The scope of this paper is to design and implement a multi-objective mathematical programming model for Isfahan province that optimizes the production plan of agricultural regions taking into account the available resources. Application of the proposed model to the case study of the Isfahan province demonstrates the reliability and flexibility of the model.
Materials and Methods: In the formulation of the proposed model, set restrictions on irrigation water, production inputs (land, fertilizer, and etc.), and economic variables, as well as the minimum and maximum demand, are described. Also, the different objectives of economics (Gross margin maximization of agricultural activities), social (Maximizing the number of labor in agricultural production) and environmental (Minimizing the use of irrigation water and the cost of chemical fertilizers and pesticides) was considered. Fuzzy multi-objective linear programming model was used to solve the proposed model. As study regions, the information of 23 cities located in Isfahan province, Iran by providing questionnaires and statistical data are taken into account. To expand the potential use of the model, the model solution is compared with the existing crop plan of the study regions. Using Access and SQL server database software to manage and initial processing of data and GAMS software to solve the optimization model due to a large number of information, equations and variables used in the proposed model was inevitable. Some parameters also related to the topic of energy such as the total energy produced, the energy produced per hectare, and energy produced per unit of irrigation water are considered.
Results and Discussion: The cultivation regional planning model for Isfahan province was programmed in GAMS software. The importance of each of the objectives were summarized by Jehad-Keshavarzi organization experts of Isfahan province. The weights are 0.3, 0.05, 0.15, and 0.5 for maximizing gross margin, minimizing the use of irrigation water, maximizing the number of labor, and minimizing the cost of fertilizers and pesticides, respectively. The results showed that the main groups of cereals and for ages were reduced from all optimized models. According to the cropping pattern in the multi-objective programming model, two main groups of cereals and for ages have significantly reduced the crop pattern compared to the current and this reduction was32 and58percent, respectively. MOP model proposed reducing the irrigation water use by 10 percent, increase the gross margin by 24 percent, and increase the production by 10 percent. The total energy produced, the energy produced per hectare, and energy produced per unit of irrigation water reduced in all optimized models.
Conclusions: The objective of this study is to present a cultivation regional planning with the multi-objective model for optimal allocation of land under cultivation and proposes an annual agricultural plan for different crops. The output of our research may become a useful analytical tool for agricultural planners. In this study, we have been able to demonstrate that the multi-objective programming approach is a better technique over a single objective criterion when multiple conflicting objectives are involved. According to the results, the most limiting factor in cultivation regional planning is irrigation water. Also, the proposed model offers a reduction in the area under cultivation. So, using reduced irrigation water availability policies to reduce the total cultivated area is recommended. The reduction of energy produced in all optimized model can be a suitable research topic to add restrictions to the proposed model. Some cities like Najaf-abad (in the main groups of horticultural and pharmaceutical crops), Naein (in the main groups of Industrial crops), and Mobarakeh (in the main groups of kitchen garden) have the potential to expand the area under cultivation and can be adopted appropriate promotional activities in these cases.
M. Mardani Najafabadi; S. Ziaee
Abstract
Introduction: Several techniques are used to evaluate decision making units in DMUs with a restricted multiplier. DEA is recognized as a methodology widely used to evaluate the relative efficiency of a set of decision-making units (DMUs) involved in a production process. This approach assumes that the ...
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Introduction: Several techniques are used to evaluate decision making units in DMUs with a restricted multiplier. DEA is recognized as a methodology widely used to evaluate the relative efficiency of a set of decision-making units (DMUs) involved in a production process. This approach assumes that the input and output data of the different decision making units (DMUs) are measured with precision. Although DEA is a powerful tool to use measure efficiency, there are some restrictions that need to be considered. One important restriction involves the sensitivity of DEA to the specific data under analysis. In this paper, the linear robust optimization framework of Bertsimas and Sim is used to concentrate on the DEA with uncertain data to determine the efficiency of irrigated wheat farms in Neyshabur County.
Materials and Methods: This paper proposes a linear robust data envelopment analysis (LRDEA) model using imprecise data represented by an uncertainty set. The method is based on the robust optimization approach of Bertsimas and Sim to seek maximization of efficiency under uncertainty (as does the original DEA model). In this approach, it is possible to vary the degree of conservatism to allow for a decision maker to understand the tradeoff between a constraint’s protection and its efficiency. The method incorporates the degree of conservatism in the maximum probability bound for constraint violation. The most significant uncertainties for a DEA model are input and output data that arise from errors. Application of the proposed model (LRDEA) to the case study (Neishabour district irrigated wheat farms) demonstrates the reliability and flexibility of the model. Monte Carlo simulation was implemented to examine the quality of the LRDEA model 100 random numbers were generated for each input and output of DMUs.
Results and Discussion: In this section, a case study of Neishabour county irrigated wheat farms is presented to illustrate the use of the methodology in this proposal, which consists of 95 DMUs, one input and five outputs. For the input and output data uncertainty, ten given maximums of a constraint’s violation probability were considered with respect to nominal values: 10%, 20%, up to 100% (i.e. we used Γ = 0.10, 0.20, up to1.00). The results show that the Gamma value decreases as the probability of constraint violation increases. The LRDEA model result shows how efficiency declines as the level of conservatism of the solution increases, that is, as the constraint violation probability decreases. According to the method, if all Gammas equal 0, then robust and original DEA models are the same. The most of the difference between the mean of optimal and actual amount of inputs is related to the two inputs of pesticide and cultivation land in both of the DEA and RDEA models. Accordingly, holding participatory extension classes to train farmers to increase yield and optimal use of existing agricultural land with a cooperative of efficient farmers is recommended. Also, the extinction of integrated pest management (IPM) to increasing non-optimal use of pesticide in the study area is proposed. Monte Carlo simulation was implemented to examine the quality of the LRDEA model 100 random numbers were generated for each input and output of DMUs. In the simulation violation probabilities ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 (at a constant the level of ε), percentages of average conformity are quite high. . However, it declines very rapidly as P approaches 0.7.
Conclusions: Evaluating the performance of many activities by a traditional DEA approach requires a precise input and output data. However, input and output data in real-world problems are often imprecise or vague. To deal with imprecise data, this study uses a robust optimization approach as a way to quantify vague data in DEA models. It is shown that the Bertsimas and Sim approach can be a useful tool in DEA models without introducing additional complexity into the problem (we called linear robust data envelopment analysis (LRDEA)). A case study of Neishabour county irrigated wheat farms is presented to illustrate the reliability and flexibility of the proposed model. The problem was solved for a range of given uncertainty and constraint violation probability levels using the GAMS software. This example suggests that our approach identifies the tradeoff between levels of conservatism and efficiency. As a result, efficiency decreases as the constraint violation probability increased. Additionally the LRDEA approach provides both a deterministic guarantee about the efficiency level of the model, as well as a probabilistic guarantee that is valid for all symmetric distributions.
A. Parhizkari; M. Sabuhi; S. Ziaee
Abstract
In the recent decades, due to water shortage problems, most countries have adopted their new policies from water supply management to water demand management . The main objective of the present study is a simulation of water market in order to determine the role of market in the balance between water ...
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In the recent decades, due to water shortage problems, most countries have adopted their new policies from water supply management to water demand management . The main objective of the present study is a simulation of water market in order to determine the role of market in the balance between water supply and water demand and to analysis impacts of irrigation water sharing policies on the cropping patterns under conditions of water shortage in the Shahrood River Basin. For this purpose, positive mathematical programming (PMP) model and regional agricultural production functions were used. After the model design, irrigation water sharing policies in consistent with the legal deviations for each of the three different cases were simulated. Finally, deficit irrigations under the three scenarios 10, 20 and 30 percent were conducted. The data was adjusted based on the reference year of 2011. A part of the data was collectedby completing the questionnaires and interviews in person with farmers from the three regions western Alamut roudbar, Rajai Dasht and Eastern Alamut roudbar.The other part of data was collected by visiting the relevant offices in the city of Qazvin. To solve the proposed model, the software GAMS version of 23/9 was used. The results showed that application of irrigation water sharing policy is a suitable approach for the allocation of water resources of the Shahrood river basin. Furthermore, the results showed that establishming the water market and trading between the regions increases the economic benefits for farmers. The applied irrigation deficit from 10 to 30 percent increased the total area of irrigated crops from 9 to 37 percents.
