Developing environmentally friendly cropping pattern with a multi-objective planning approach in Sari County

Due to the negative effects of agricultural production activities on the environment, especially water and soil pollution, one of the most important decisions in the agricultural sector is the optimal allocation of resources. This decision should be in such a way that while maximizing the profit of farmers, it will result in less environmental effects. This action is often done by determining the optimal cropping pattern (CP). In this research, by quantifying the economic, social and environmental effects, a compatible CP with agricultural resources was presented by using a multi-objective planning model.

The social effects of different agricultural crops were calculated using various indicators such as social solidarity, social security, participation and quality of life through interviews with farmers. The environmental effects and economic efficiency of the CP were also considered through the concept of life cycle assessment (LCA) and gross margin per ha, respectively. Further, by calculating socio-economic and environmental indicators, the optimal CP was formulated by developing a multi-objective function based on maximizing profit, reducing water and fertilizer consumption, reducing negative environmental effects of production and improving social indicators. In order to solve the multiple programming model, the method of weighted LP-metric model was used. The information required in this study included information on the production pattern, consumption of inputs, price and yeild of major agricultural crops of Sari County.

The results showed that considering the social indicators, the least attention of the farmers was related to corn and onion, and the five priority crops were identified as wheat, cotton, lentils, rice and canola, respectively. The results of LCA showed that the cultivation of tobacco, canola and corn in this city have the most negative environmental effects. In the optimal CP by combining economic, social and environmental goals, alfalfa, cotton and corn were removed from the stydy area, and the cultivated area of cucumber and clover showed positive changes compared to the current pattern. Also, the cultivated area of the cereal decreaseed in the areaChanges in the cultivated area of barley were predicted more than wheat and rice. The total cultivated area reduced by 15%, resulting in 12.91% and 14.46% reduction in water and fertilizer consumption, respectively. In addition, the efficiency of the program in the studied area decreased by 12.97%.

The development of environmental goals in the implementation of CP programs requires that policymakers consider appropriate economic incentives for farmers. Therefore, policy makers should find suitable solutions to make the farmers to follow the proposed CP.