A new approach to selecting the best region for wheat production(Case study: Esfahan Province)

The present study aims to determine the annual water footprint trend of wheat production in Esfahan province during the period 1982-2016. In order to investigate the trend of water footprint time series of wheat production, Mann-Kendall Trend test and Sen's slope estimator were used. After ranking the cities from the point of view of the water footprint and water footprint trend, using the Social Choice Rules (SCR), the best city for wheat cultivation was identified in Esfahan province. The results showed that the average total water footprint of wheat production in Esfahan province was 4122.73 m3/ton and according to Mann-Kendall statistics, there is a decreasing and increasing trend and this trend was significant for the Fereidan, Fereydun Shahr and Isfahan cities at a level of 90%. The results also indicate that the low amount of water footprint indicator or the decreasing trend of this indicator in producing a product in a region is not an acceptable criterion for choosing that area for cultivating that product and by using bargaining simulations such as social choice rules, it is possible to identify the best region for cultivating each product and to change the pattern of cultivation in its policy of work to preserve water resources and increase productivity. In this study, from the point of view of the water footprint, Fereydun Shahr was selected as the best city for wheat cultivation in Esfahan province