Multicriteria analysis for irrigation sustainable development: design and selection of irrigation systems

Doutoramento em Engenharia dos Biossistemas - Instituto Superior de AgronomiaThis study aimed to select the most sustainable irrigation methods able to obtain high water productivity considering economic aspects and water saving criteria for wheat and cotton in NE Syria. The models used are PROASPER for sprinkler, SADREG for surface and MIRRIG for drip irrigation. Multicriteria analysis (MCA) was used to rank a set of design alternatives considering water saving and economic priorities. For wheat, surface and sprinkler systems were applied. For cotton surface, sprinkler and drip methods were compared. All combinations were analysed for full and deficit irrigation. Results for cotton show that drip irrigation is better than graded furrows for water saving but not a good option for economic priority unless the yield price increases. Sprinkler systems for cotton are rarely advantageous. For wheat, sprinkler systems are better than borders from water savings perspectives, showing an increased water productivity, as well as in economic terms leading to higher farmer’s income. MCA proved to be a very useful tool in a water scarce region to select the most appropriate irrigation systems considering the users preferences