New Data for Representing Irrigated Agriculture in Economy-Wide Models

Abstract

We develop a framework to represent the production value and expansion potential of irrigated land within economy-wide models, providing integrated assessment capabilities for energy-land-water interactions. The scope to expand irrigated land is quantified through irrigable land supply curves for 126 water regions globally based on water availability and the annual costs of irrigation infrastructure. Upgrades in irrigation infrastructure include (1) increasing water storage, (2) improving conveyance efficiency, and (3) improving irrigation efficiency. The value of production on irrigated and rainfed cropland is computed at both a 5 arcminute by 5 arcminute level and for the 140 regions and eight crop sectors in Version 9 of the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) Data Base using estimates of production quantities and prices from the year 2000. This work facilitates the representation of endogenous investment in irrigation infrastructure and allows for a more rigorous exploration of the regional and global impacts of water availability on land use, energy production, and economic activity.