Investigating the effects of water resources consumption reduction policies on agricultural sustainability in different climates in Iran

Choosing the best policy to reduce water consumption concerning social, economic, and environmental dimensions is a major challenge for policymakers. The purpose of this study is to evaluate agricultural sustainability and cropping pattern changes due to Water Resources Consumption Reduction Policie...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environment, development and sustainability development and sustainability, 2024-01, Vol.26 (1), p.1007-1032
Main Authors: Kazemi-nejad, Rahmatollah, Rezaee, Azam, Joolaie, Ramtin, Keramatzadeh, Ali
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural policy
Agriculture
Analytic hierarchy process
Cropping systems
Discrepancies
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecology
Economic Geology
Economic Growth
Economics
Environment
Environmental aspects
Environmental Economics
Environmental impact
Environmental Management
Farmers
Mathematical programming
Moisture content
Policy making
Pricing policies
Reduction
Resource consumption
Sustainability
Sustainable agriculture
Sustainable Development
Water consumption
Water content
Water policy
Water resources
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Summary:Choosing the best policy to reduce water consumption concerning social, economic, and environmental dimensions is a major challenge for policymakers. The purpose of this study is to evaluate agricultural sustainability and cropping pattern changes due to Water Resources Consumption Reduction Policies based on different scenarios. For this purpose, a study area in northern Iran with three different climates was selected. The required information including documentary and field data obtained from the farmers' questionnaire and face-to-face interviews with 492 farmers in 2019–2020. To achieve the objectives, Positive Mathematical Programming (PMP) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) were applied. The results showed that quota policies can be considered as the best policy, and pricing policies only increase the farmers' costs. Also, WRCRP will lead to changes in cropping patterns and the amount of water consumed in all climates. Most discrepancies among the effects of WRCRP on sustainability are related to the importance of each economic, social and environmental aspect. In fact, selecting each scenario by government is dependent on the status of the region on that specific time. It is necessary for the policymakers to evaluate their considered policies before implementation to reduce the negative economic, social and environmental impacts.
ISSN:1573-2975
1387-585X
1573-2975
DOI:10.1007/s10668-022-02745-1