Increasing the Agricultural Water Resources of Economic Values, Involving the Bases of Virtual Water, Case Study: Arak Plain, IRAN

Optimal water consumption and the supply & demand management would require a better focus on the economy of water resources. This study evaluates the effects of virtual water on the economic value of water resources using a mathematical model. The model has been applied to the Arak Plain, central Iran, for four strategic crops of wheat, barley, alfalfa and corn with three weighting methods of “cultivated area”, “water consumption volume”, and “income”. Meteorological and agricultural data, water consumption data as well as incomes and expenses of the water section in 2015-2016 were used in this research. Results show that the economic value of agricultural water resources in the Arak Plain increased for all the three weighting methods by considering the virtual water that led to substituting the products. Replacing alfalfa with sorghum would increase the economic value of water resources by 36.0%, 28.0%, and 40.5%, using the three weighting methods of “cultivated area”, “water consumption volume”, and “income”, respectively. Increasing the economic value of water resources is one of the main ways towards sustainable development and food security.