Investigation of Economic Productivity of Crop Products in Sistan and Baluchestan Province by Water Footprint Approach

Water management in agricultural sector is essential as the most important consumer of water. Assessing the actual amount of water used by different crops could be very effective in identifying and providing appropriate solutions to reduce agricultural water consumption. In this study, water footprint and partial irrigation water supply index were used to investigate the amount of water consumed by crops in Sistan and Baluchistan Province. The water footprint is a complete index, representing the actual amount of water consumed based on climatic condition in each area. Water footprint was evaluated on the basis of four components; green, blue, gray and white water footprints. Water productivity of different crops was also studied from an economic point of view. The results showed among the crop and orchard products, the wheat and pistachio showed the highest green water footprints, respectively. In terms of blue water footprint, maize, pomegranate and grape had the lowest amount. In terms of gray water footprint, wheat and pistachio had the highest values. In terms of white water footprint, wheat and pistachio had the highest values. In terms of overall water footprint, wheat and pistachio had the highest values. Among the crop products, barley and wheat had the lowest economic productivity and maize had the highest value. Among the orchard products, bananas had the highest economic productivity (2562.64x1000 riyals per cubic meter) and pistachio had the lowest one (29.4x1000 riyals per cubic meter). The values of relative irrigation water supply index were higher than one, indicating all crops are over-irrigated. Therefore, considering the high water footprint in the products produced in the province, the priority should be given to plant crops in each area based on the water footprint.  Also, deficit irrigation methods should be used to increase irrigation water productivity.