Title: | Analysis of intra-country virtual water trade strategy to alleviate water scarcity in Iran |
Authors: | Faramarzi, M., H. Yang, J. Mousavi, R. Shulin, C.R. Binder and K.C. Abbaspour |
Year: | 2010 |
Journal: | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
Volume (Issue): | 14(8) |
Pages: | 1417-1433 |
Article ID: | |
DOI: | 10.5194/hess-14-1417-2010 |
URL (non-DOI journals): | |
Model: | SWAT |
Broad Application Category: | hydrologic only |
Primary Application Category: | blue, green and/or gray water, or crop water productivity |
Secondary Application Category: | crop, forest and/or vegetation growth/yield and/or parameters |
Watershed Description: | Entire nation of Iran. |
Calibration Summary: | |
Validation Summary: | |
General Comments: | This paper does not describe new SWAT applications but rather uses SWAT output from a previous study (or studies) performed for Iran as cited in the study. |
Abstract: | Increasing water scarcity has posed a major constraint
to sustain food production in many parts of the world.
To study the situation at the regional level, we took Iran as
an example and analyzed how an intra-country “virtual water
trade strategy” (VWTS) may help improve cereal production
as well as alleviate the water scarcity problem. This strategy
calls, in part, for the adjustment of the structure of cropping
pattern (ASCP) and interregional food trade where crop
yield and crop water productivity as well as local economic
and social conditions are taken into account. We constructed
a systematic framework to assess ASCP at the provincial
level under various driving forces and constraints. A mixedinteger,
multi-objective, linear optimization model was developed
and solved by linear programming. Data from 1990–
2004 were used to account for yearly fluctuations of water
availability and food production. Five scenarios were designed
aimed at maximizing the national cereal production
while meeting certain levels of wheat self-sufficiency under
various water and land constraints in individual provinces.
The results show that under the baseline scenario, which assumes
a continuation of the existing water use and food policy
at the national level, some ASCP scenarios could produce
more wheat with less water. Based on different scenarios in
ASCP, we calculated that 31% to 100% of the total wheat
shortage in the deficit provinces could be supplied by the
wheat surplus provinces. As a result, wheat deficit provinces
would receive 3.5 billionm3 to 5.5 billionm3 of virtual water
by importing wheat from surplus provinces. |
Language: | English |
Keywords: | |