Optimal Crop Pattern Management in Firozabad Plain According to Water and Soil Sustainability by Applying Fuzzy Mathematical Programming

Water and soil resources protecting in agriculture has particular importance. This study attempts to determine optimal crop patterns in Firozabad plain taking to account agriculture sustainability with three objectives. For this purpose, utilizing Fuzzy mathematical programming, profit-maximizing as the economic goal and reduction in water, fertilizer and pesticides uses as environmental goals were considered.

Deficit irrigation and water stress conditions, as well as the adoption of an appropriate irrigation system, was modeled with different decided variables to show the actual conditions of the plain in normal and drought years, by considering the upper and lower targets in the fuzzy model.

Results showed that all the three objectives contribute approximately the same levels of satisfaction and there are no clear differences between crop patterns with and without dry farming. In the case of drought years, wheat 25, wheat 49, barley 44, corn 3, sugar beet 48 and rice, and the same products with different levels of deficit irrigations were recommended in the normal year. Optimal crop pattern was determined and comparing it with the average crop pattern in the past 10-year in the region.

To align with sustainable agriculture and protecting water and soil resources in Firozabad plain, it is not necessary to change the crop pattern of the area. The main difference is due to choose of an irrigation system, irrigation time, and changing the share of plains cultivation levels to products suitable.