Assessing the long-term water management in agricultural activity (case study, Khuzestan province)

Agricultural lands in Khuzestan province, southwest Iran, have a great ability to produce around 137 types of crops (around 13.5% of the country's production). Around 90% of the farmlands in this region are under irrigation. Therefore, the sustainable management of water resources plays an important role in this area. This study aims to assess the long-term challenges and strategies of water consumption management in the agricultural sector of the province and then to examine the development of crop production with water consumption from 1990 to 2016. Results showed that despite long term drought from 1976 to 2006, the agricultural productions increased around twofold. The area under sugar- cane as the main crop production (about 48%, with water consumption around 36000 m3</sup>/ha) increased from 60946 ha in 2007-2008 to 107142 ha in 2015-2016. Based on the principal aims mentioned above, the following subjects need more attention to improve water efficiency in the future:  providing the best water supply and modified irrigation systems,  formulation of suitable cultivation patterns, providing a provincial water atlas, promoting agricultural knowledge and agricultural subsidies facilities, development of irrigation and drainage systems, improving greenhouse production,  developing modern irrigation systems, and  transferring  the spring cultivation to the winter one.