Evaluating the economic value of virtual water with maximizing productivity of Irrigation water

Misuse of water, a reduction in average rainfall and Climate Change has been decliningthe country's water resources in spite of fluctuations in different years. In addition, the ministry of energy despite the high costs involved in the extraction and distribution of water to different sectors, including agriculture, always receives very low and similar rates from all provincial farmers and they do not pay any money for removal of wells. In recent years, the discussion of "virtual water" and water content products in the form of "green water", "blue water" and "gray water" attracted the attention of many researchers of water.
Now cropping pattern is determined by the goal of maximizing the area under cultivation. The water content products are various in different regions with different agricultural products. In addition, the process of global warming has caused the country's water resources in spite of fluctuations to decline in different years continues. Therefore, farmers should determine the production rate of crops in different areas by goals such as water efficiency. They should aim to maximize water efficiency and should be replace it as an alternative to maximize the acreage or maximize their performance. The question of this study is determination of economic value of virtual water according to water content and water efficiency products?
Our review sample includes a selection of the provinces that have the status of "severe water shortage", "water shortage", "water stress" or "tolerable" are based on the classification of the water balance of the ministry of energy. Thus, the five provinces of Ilam, Bushehr, West Azarbaijan, Esfahan and Semnan were selected for this study. Products are divided into five groups of crops (cereals, pulses, industrial crops, vegetables and cucurbits), and among them 12 are selected products whose information has been registered in the Ministry of Agriculture Jahad. To evaluate the aim of this study, a pattern of fuzzy linear programming (FLP) is used. The results show that: (1) The economic value of blue water (total surface and groundwater) of West Azerbaijan, Bushehr, Isfahan, Semnan, Iran Ilam provinces according to maximizing water productivity are 14615, 40608, 7240, 4673 and 39274 Rials per cubic meter of blue water, respectively. (2) The economic value of gray water (water from sewage treatment) for West Azerbaijan 7220 and for Isfahan is 8330 Rials per cubic meter of gray water. In general, the provinces have more bad water situation, the economic value of water content of their products is higher. (3) water productivity of 12 crop were increased in selected provinces. So that, it increased in Semnan province of 0.14 to 8.13, 0.02 to 0.04 Isfahan, West Azarbaijan province from 0.12 to 0.29, Ilam province from 0.34 to 5.29 and in Bushehr province from 0.62 to 3.53.
Due to the results of the research, recommendations for decision-making and policy-makers in relevant fields provided. (1) policy agricultural production in order to conserve water resources shall be directed to give priority to crops that while increasing water productivity of agricultural products is in line with the virtual water content. (2) According to the results of the economic value of water content is different crops in different provinces. So the government for the proper distribution of water in agriculture in different provinces with different prices. (3) According to different economic values ​​for the water content of crops, the price of finished agricultural products are blue in the provinces where the situation is different, be different. It seems to be in determining the final price of agricultural products and guarantees, the value lies in their virtual water content of the reform.