Allocating Water and Environment-Polluting Inputs for Wheat Production in Seydan-Farough Plain, Iran

Efficient management of inputs used in agricultural production plays a key role in the process of sustainable development. In this regard, present research aims to determine the economic optimal use of water and environment-polluting inputs for wheat production in Seydan-Farough Plain, Marvdasht Township. Required data is cross-sectional and related to the crop year 2010-2011 collected through questionnaires using two-stage cluster sampling method. The research findings show that farmers have used water and the polluting input of urea fertilizer more than economic optimal amount. The main reason for water overuse should be attributed to the dominant irrigation method in the region. It is therefore recommended to use modern irrigation systems with higher performance than mere relying on price instruments of water management which have largely been inefficient based on experience in this area. In the case of urea fertilizer, targeted subsidies plan for inputs has had beneficial effects in order to optimize the use of input, however, following the conventional system of input consumption by the farmers and prevalence of incorrect consumption pattern are still causing overuse of this environment-polluting input. Accordingly, it is suggested to continue the trend of getting real input prices considering a reasonable profit margin for farmers, pursue extension efforts such as preparing fertilizer plans or other strategies, and replace organic fertilizers in order to reduce the consumption of environment-polluting inputs. Moreover, phosphate fertilizer and poison inputs are used in optimal level.