Determining the optimal cultivation pattern by considering the concept of virtual water and economic benefits (Case Study: Omrani Plain in Khorasan Razavi)

This study is conducted with the aim of determining the optimal cultivation pattern based on the concept of virtual water and considering the objectives of minimizing virtual water consumption and maximizing economic profit of the products in Omrani plain of Gonabad as a case study. At first, the optimization problems are defined by defining appropriate objective equations, and limitations based on different constrains such as available water or local and regional policies. Then, by using linear and multi-objective programming in MATLAB software, the appropriate cultivation pattern was determined. Next, using GIS, the optimal crops were allocated to different farmland in the region. Results showed that the best policy was a combination of the two-objective including minimizing virtual water and maximizing economic profits. In this case, the amount of virtual water consumption in the region was reduced by more than 57% which is considerable. Also, even with this consumption of virtual water, the higher economic benefit is achievable if the pattern of cultivation is changed.