Optimizing water efficiency and energy productivity in choosing a cropping pattern

Abstract

In the current century, the sustainable production of agricultural products is one of the main challenges facing humanity. The amount of water consumption, energy, and net income as important components of the sustainability of agricultural systems is of special priority and importance. This study used linear and multi-objective programming models with the aim of maximizing five indicators of cost efficiency (CE), irrigation efficiency (IE), energy productivity (EP), energy efficiency (EE), and food efficiency (FE) to determine the cropping pattern of small-scale farms cultivated per hectare in the agricultural year. There are 160 questionnaires classified by random sampling method in agricultural sectors in Inner Mongolia, China. The results showed that determining the cropping pattern using multi-objective planning increases irrigation efficiency and energy efficiency compared with linear modeling. Considering the conditions of limited water resources in the region and the policies of the country in the agricultural sector, cropping patterns with the objective functions of maximization of IE and CE were proposed.