Evaluating the water and energy productivity of irrigated agroecosystems in Kermanshah Province, Iran

Efficient use of inputs and energy resources is one of the most important principals of sustainable agriculture. For this purpose, water and energy productivity of irrigated agroecosystems of major crops in Kermanshah province were evaluated. The Data was collected via questionnaire through face to face interview of 180 farmers of this province during summer 2010. Results showed that water productivity in alfalfa, corn and wheat agroecosystems were 2.06, 1.05 and 0.9 kg.m3, respectively. Furthermore, energy use efficiency for these crops were 4.29, 2.08 and 3.78. Accordingly, water- energy productivity was 0.08, 0.06 and 0.13 g.m3 kWh for wheat, maize, and alfalfa agroecosystems, respectively. In conclusion, results indicated that in these agroecosystems, energy management should be considered as an important task in terms of efficient and sustainable use of energy in order to reduce environmental footprint in agroecosystems.