Usefulness and limitations of decision support systems for improving irrigation scheme management

SIMIS (the FAO Scheme Irrigation Management Information System) is a decision support system that integrates tools and performance indicators to facilitate the planning and management of irrigation schemes. The authors used SIMIS to compute performance indicators in an irrigation scheme in Southern Spain that were used to identify distribution system constraints affecting the flexibility of water deliveries and to identify scheme sectors where deliveries could not meet the predicted crop water demands. Applying SIMIS, the authors and the irrigation scheme manager evaluated measures to overcome the constraints for future irrigation campaigns, and to refine the water orders made every 2 weeks to the basin authority. On the other hand, SIMIS presented limitations to the evaluation of on-demand delivery schedules. To overcome these limitations, an external model, developed outside SIMIS, showed that the current distribution network of the scheme has the capacity to deliver water on-demand only if a slight water deficit is accepted during the peak demand period. The analysis showed that by relaxing the stringency of the quality of operation of on-demand systems, rotation systems may be transformed into on-demand systems without changing their structures. This analysis could also be done using Clément's hypothesis, but doing so resulted in overestimates of the quality of operation and of the relative irrigation supply.     

A database program for enhancing irrigation district management in the Ebro Valley (Spain)

In the last decade irrigation districts in the Ebro Valley of Spain have started to use database applications to enhance their management operations. Such applications often put more emphasis on administrative issues than on water management issues. A new irrigation district management software called “Ador” is presented in this paper. This database application has been designed to overcome limitations identified in an analysis of the software used in the study area. Ador can be used in irrigation districts independently of the type of irrigation system (surface, sprinkler or trickle) and the type of irrigation distribution network (open channel or pressurised). It can even be used in irrigation districts combining different types of irrigation systems and different types of irrigation distribution networks. The software can be used with minimum district information. The goals are to manage detailed information about district water management and to promote better on-farm irrigation practices. Ador is currently used to enhance management of 62 irrigation districts accounting for some 173,000 hectares in the Ebro Valley.     

Quantifying the effect of Managed Aquifer Recharge on the microbiological human health risks of irrigating crops with recycled water

Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) is increasingly being used for water recycling via aquifers and recovery for irrigation. Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) was used to assess the human health risks from irrigation using reclaimed water and to evaluate the reduction in risk where MAR is used for irrigation management. Four MAR sites (Shafdan, Israel; Nardò, Italy; Bolivar, Australia; and Sabadell, Spain) that use reclaimed water for crop and/or park irrigation were evaluated, and the risk to human health was quantified in terms of DALYs (Disability Adjusted Life Years). The results indicated that median risks for all scenarios and pathogens evaluated were acceptable (<10⁻⁶ DALYs) with the exception of risks from accidental aerosol ingestion and bacterial pathogens at the Nardò site. MAR was found to be one of the most important treatment barriers in terms of log₁₀ inactivation credits and hence a useful tool for recycled water irrigation management. The Shafdan site relied almost completely on the MAR treatment to reduce the human health risks from irrigation to acceptable levels. For the Nardò site MAR was also an important barrier, where if MAR had not been used as part of the irrigation system the risk would be unacceptable for protozoa and viruses. The Bolivar and Sabadell sites had much larger and more technologically complex recycled water treatment systems and as such MAR was not a critical barrier in managing human health risks.     

黄河流域典型灌区灌溉节水管理模型研究

以黄河流域上下游2个典型灌区为背景，针对灌区有其农业水管理现状，开发了灌溉节水策略分析决策支持系统（DSS）原型。DSS是一个规划工具，通过对不同策略下田间配水及供水系统的模拟分析及综合决策，寻求最优的策略集合，以达到节约灌溉用水量、提高农业用水效率及维持农业可持续发展的目的。该DSS系统主要用于黄河流域灌区提高农业水管理水平的策略分析，也可用于评估灌区续建配套及土地最佳利用方案等方面。     

Irrigation in the Jordan Valley: Are water pricing policies overly optimistic?

Water is very scarce in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The development of both public irrigation in the Jordan Valley and private groundwater schemes in the highlands has diverted a large share of the country's water resources to agriculture. Many policy instruments have been used in the last 10 years to reallocate water to nonagricultural uses and encourage improvements in efficiency throughout the water sector. Demand management has been emphasized, with water pricing policies expected to instill conservation and motivate a shift toward higher-value crops. We examine the rationale for, and potential and current impact of, pricing policies in the Jordan Valley.We describe the likelihood of success of such policies in terms of operation and maintenance cost recovery, water savings and improved economic efficiency, and we explore some of the alternatives available for meeting these objectives. We show that while operation and maintenance (O&M) costs can be recovered higher water prices have limited potential for achieving gains in irrigation efficiency. The current system of quotas, the lack of storage, and technical difficulties experienced in the pressurized networks indicate that little water can be saved. More substantial increases in water prices can be expected to raise overall economic efficiency by motivating farmers to intensify cultivation, adopt higher-value crops, improve technology, or rent out their land to investors. Yet such strategies are constrained by lack of capital and credit, and pervasive risk, notably regarding marketing. Pricing policies, thus, are best implemented together with positive incentives that reduce capital and risk constraints, and offer attractive cropping alternatives or exit options with compensation.     

Irrigation system design for management in mountainous areas

The paper reports research on engineering designs of irrigation systems in mountainous areas and the resulting implications for management. The engineering designs are important because they may or may not provide the social basis for local people to participate in system development and management. This hypothesis is analyzed by using field data from an irrigation development program in the Himachal Pradesh State in India. The development program will construct about 150 small-scale, gravity flow and lift irrigation schemes in a seven year period. The results of the analysis support the argument that the engineering designs critically influence local people's capability and willingness to manage irrigation facilities. In gravity flow irrigation schemes, water capture by permanent flow diversion structuress is extremely expensive and yet unreliable because of large variation in stream flow and unstable mountain slopes. A more practical alternative is to utilize diversion structures of temporary nature which are made with local materials. Construction and management of such structures will encourage local participation because of high maintenance requirements. In lift irrigation schemes a conventional design is to lift all water requirements to a single highest point in the command area. This practice results in unnecessarily high energy costs and in a water distribution system which is complex to manage. A better alternative is to design the pumps so that water can be delivered at variable elevations in the scheme area. This will allow disaggregation of the total area into smaller rotational units and, therefore, management of water distribution can be potentially easier and equitable.     

GIS user-interface based irrigation delivery performance assessment: a case study for Tanjung Karang rice irrigation scheme in Malaysia

Various indicators are used for evaluating the performance of different aspects of an irrigation system, and assessments also differ in terms of the types of performance indicators used. This paper describes a GIS-based assessment system which utilizes a new concept and evaluated the inadequacy of a widely used Relative Water Supply (RWS) concept to characterize the irrigation delivery performance for a rice irrigation system as the season advances. Development of this GIS-based assessment system resulted in the creation of new indicators, viz., the Rice Relative Water Supply (RRWS), Cumulative Rice Relative Water Supply (CRRWS) and Ponding Water Index (PWI). These indicators were determined from field tests and evaluated in a Malaysian Tanjung Karang Rice Irrigation Scheme (TAKRIS). The RWS concept was found to be inaccurate for characterizing the oversupply condition on irrigation deliveries for rice irrigation; and difficult to correctly quantify the oversupply condition for irrigation supplies. Besides, it was found that the RRWS indicator can distinctly characterize the oversupply condition for RRWS > 1.0 and undersupply condition for RRWS < 1.0 on irrigation delivery for any given period. A value of 1.0 for RRWS indicates an irrigation delivery that matches perfectly the actual field water demand. This study presents a cumulative RRWS plot that provides important information on irrigation supplies for any given time interval for management decisions. An increasing slope in the actual CRRWS curve with CRRWS = 1.0, means that irrigation supply can be slightly curtailed in the next period. On the other hand, if the slope is negative, supply has to be increased. If a computed CRRWS line follows the CRRWS = 1.0 line, it means that irrigation deliveries are perfectly matched with the field water demand. A graphical user-interface was developed for structuring the assessment tool within an ArcGIS platform. The system can instantly provide information on the uniformity of water distribution and the shortfall or excess, and provides vital information in terms of decisions that need to be made for the next period. The system helps to maintain continuous updating of input and output databases on real field conditions. Results are displayed on the computer screen together with color-coded maps, graphs and tables in a comprehensible form. The system is likely to be adopted for evaluating various water allocation scenarios and water management options. It can also be used as an analytical and operational tool for irrigation managers.     

Irrigation water prices for farmer-managed irrigation systems in Tanzania: a case study of Lower Moshi irrigation scheme

A computer program model for pricing irrigation water among beneficiaries was developed and tested. The data used for the purpose was collected from Lower Moshi farmer-managed irrigation scheme (FMIS) in northern part of Tanzania as a case study. The scheme has two intakes; namely Rau and Mabogini irrigation systems. Allam's mathematical model for allocating irrigation water price which was developed in Egypt (Allam, 1987) was adopted and adapted for the purpose. The results indicate that the irrigation water price depends on a number of structures serving the area, their installation costs, amount of water received by each tertiary block and water rights. The prices differ between different tertiary blocks within the same system and also between two systems that exist in Lower Moshi Irrigation Scheme (LMIS). This indicates that the model can be used as a tool by designers and planners for selecting the best designed irrigation system that farmers can afford to pay for its operation, maintenance and management. The mean irrigation water price value for Mabogini is Tshs. 12 151/-¹ while that of the Rau system is 10 414/-. To maintain uniformity of irrigation water price in the scheme, it is recommended that a mean value of Tshs. 11 283/- is used. Generally, farmers in Tanzania are used to contribute one bag of paddy which costs about Tshs. 10 000/- for maintenance works. Therefore, the irrigation water price derived from the model is reasonable and one the farmers can afford.     

灌溉水利用系数测定方法研究

通过开展对灌溉水利用系数资料的搜集、整理并对灌区进行实地调研,在了解目前灌区灌溉水利用系数测量中存在问题及原因的基础上,对灌区灌溉水利用系数测量计算方法进行了分析研究,提出了测定灌溉水利用系数的综合测定计算方法。该方法既克服了传统测量方法中工作量大,需要大量人力、物力才能完成的缺点,又弥补了只测量典型渠段而引起较大误差的不足,而且能反映出灌区渠系用水情况、灌溉工程质量及灌溉用水管理水平等。为灌区今后经常性地测量符合实际的灌溉水利用系数及指导灌区节水工程改造等提供了一种切实可行的计算方法。并结合实例进行了应用分析。     

The Irrigation Management Game: A role playing exercise for training in irrigation management

The development of a role playing exercise for training of irrigation professionals in the management of small holder irrigation schemes is described. The exercise places participants in the position of either agency staff or farmers. As farmers participants are dependent on irrigation water supplies from the agency managed run-of-the-river irrigation system. As agency staff participants are responsible for water allocation between competing demands on the main system. The exercise develops interaction between the participants as they trade in water and negotiate for irrigation supplies.The exercise develops an understanding of the issues involved in managing an irrigation system, though not only on technical matters such as water allocation policy, yield response to water and performance assessment. The exercise also creates an awareness of the whole system, in particular the importance of communication between agency staff and farmers, and between farmers themselves.The Irrigation Management Game is the copyright of the author, Professor Ian Carruthers of Wye College, University of London and consulting engineers Mott MacDonald, Cambridge, UK.     

Assessing basin irrigation and scheduling strategies for saving irrigation water and controlling salinity in the upper Yellow River Basin, China

Water saving in irrigation is a key concern in the Yellow River basin. Excessive water diversions for irrigation waste water and produce waterlogging problems during the crop season and soil salinization in low lands. Supply control and inadequate functionality of the drainage system were identified as main factors for poor water management at farm level. Their improvement condition the adoption of water saving and salinity control practices. Focusing on the farm scale, studies to assess the potential for water savings included: (a) field evaluation of current basin irrigation practices and further use of the simulation models SRFR and SIRMOD to generate alternative improvements for the surface irrigation systems and (b) the use of the ISAREG model to simulate the present and improved irrigation scheduling alternatives taking into consideration salinity control. Models were used interactively to define alternatives for the irrigation systems and scheduling that would minimize percolation and produce water savings. Foreseen improvements refer to basin inflow discharges, land leveling and irrigation scheduling that could result in water savings of 33% relative to actual demand. These improvements would also reduce percolation and maintain water table depths below 1 m thereby reducing soil salinization.     

Assessing the irrigation strategies over a wide geographical area from structural data about farming systems

Accurate estimation of regional water demand by agriculture, mainly consumed by farmers for irrigation, is a key requirement for water management. It depends on the farmers’ irrigation practices which itself depend on the farmers’ irrigation strategies. Describing irrigation strategies over a region is rather difficult due to the large number and the diversity of farmers. We seek whether it is possible to characterise irrigation strategies from easily accessible farm characteristics data at the regional scale. For that purpose, we investigated the relationships between maize irrigation strategies and three farming sub-systems: the production system, the water resource system and the irrigation equipment system.Based on a 56-farmers survey of maize irrigation strategies carried out in two different areas in south-western France, we firstly created typologies from the three farming sub-systems and from irrigation strategies and, in a second step, analysed the links between the different typologies. Multivariate analyses, cluster analyses, linear regressions and regression trees were used for that purpose.Only two types of irrigation strategies were found that could not be fully explained by the three sub-systems typologies. However, the theoretical irrigation capacity explains a part of the irrigation strategies. Such data can be obtained at a wide geographical scale from administrative data bases.Strategic management of irrigation is similar amongst farmers in a given area while more operational actions differ from farmer to farmer. Standardisation of strategies due to county-based advice is then discussed.     

渠井双灌区水资源统一调控的管理机制研究

分析制约泾惠渠灌区渠井协调发展的主要原因,开展水资源统一调控管理机制研究。在了解泾惠渠渠井双灌区发展历程的基础上,指出水资源管理主体不一致、地下水无计量设施和水价不统一是制约渠井协调发展的主要原因。通过完善水资源管理体制、建立水量计量与监控机制、实施总量控制与定额管理相结合的用水管理制度、建立"异水同价、阶梯水价"的水价形成机制、建立水资源联合调控智能管理决策系统、建立舆论监督制度等一系列措施,对泾惠渠灌区水资源统一调控管理机制进行了初步研究探讨。     

Using EPIC model to manage irrigated cotton and maize

Simulation models are becoming of interest as a decision support system for management and assessment of crop water use and of crop production. The Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) model was used to evaluate its application as a decision support tool for irrigation management of cotton and maize under South Texas conditions. Simulation of the model was performed to determine crop yield, crop water use, and the relationships between the yield and crop water use parameters such as crop evapotranspiration (ETc) and water use efficiency (WUE). We measured actual ETc using a weighing lysimeter and crop yields by field sampling, and then calibrated the model. The measured variables were compared with simulated variables using EPIC. Simulated ETc agreed with the lysimeter, in general, but some simulated ETc were biased compared with measured ETc. EPIC also simulated the variability in crop yields at different irrigation regimes. Furthermore, EPIC was used to simulate yield responses at various irrigation regimes with farm fields’ data. Maize required ∼700 mm of water input and ∼650 mm of ETc to achieve a maximum yield of 8.5 Mg ha⁻¹ while cotton required between 700 and 900 mm of water input and between 650 and 750 mm of ETc to achieve a maximum yield of 2.0-2.5 Mg ha⁻¹. The simulation results demonstrate that the EPIC model can be used as a decision support tool for the crops under full and deficit irrigation conditions in South Texas. EPIC appears to be effective in making long-term and pre-season decisions for irrigation management of crops, while reference ET and phenologically based crop coefficients can be used for in-season irrigation management.     

On-farm performance evaluation of improved traditional small-scale irrigation practices: A case study from Dire Dawa area, Ethiopia

Field evaluation of surface irrigation systems play a fundamental role to determine the efficiency of the system as it is being used and to identify management practices and system configurations that can be implemented to improve the irrigation efficiency. This study evaluated the performance of an ‘improved’ traditional small-scale irrigation practice at Adada, a representative small-scale irrigation practice in Dire Dawa Administrative Council, Eastern Ethiopia. In order to determine numerical values of performance measures, certain parameters were measured/observed before, during and after an irrigation event while farmers are performing their normal irrigation practice. These parameters include: irrigated crop, irrigation method, stream size, cutoff time, soil moisture deficiency, and field size, shape and spacing. The results showed that the irrigation water applied to a farmer's plot during an irrigation event/turn was generally higher than the required depth to be applied per event. Since the irrigation method used was end-dyked, the major cause of water loss was due to deep percolation. The deep percolation loss was 32% in sorghum, 57% in maize, and 70% in tomato and potato fields. The type of irrigation system used, the ridged irrigation practice and the poor irrigation scheduling in the study sites were the main problems identified in the management and operations of the schemes. The following corrective measures are recommended to improve the system: (1) farmers should regulate the depth of irrigation water they apply according to the type of crop and its growth stage, change the field irrigation system and/or configuration especially for shallow rooted row crops, to furrow system, (2) guidance and support to farmers in developing and introduction of appropriate irrigation scheduling, and (3) future development interventions towards improvement of traditional irrigation practices should also focus in improving the on farm irrigation systems in addition to improving physical infrastructure of the scheme.     

Performance assessment of irrigation water management of heterogeneous irrigation schemes: 1. A framework for evaluation

Studies of the performance assessment of irrigation schemes have gained momentum since the late 1980s due to the common perspective that the resources (land and water) in irrigation schemes are not being managed appropriately. In this paper irrigation water management is considered as one of the activities of the irrigation scheme. Three phases of irrigation water management namely planning, operation and evaluation are identified. A framework for the performance assessment of irrigation water management in heterogeneous irrigation schemes is proposed in this paper, based on earlier studies made in this direction. The paper presents two types of allocative measures (productivity and equity) and five types of scheduling measures (adequacy, reliability, flexibility, sustainability and efficiency), together with the methodologies for estimating these for the scheme as a whole during different phases of irrigation water management.     

Water balance of flooded rice paddies

Rice (Oryza sativa L., var. Labelle) was grown in 300 m² paddies of Beaumont clay soil (Typic pelludert) and subjected to two management schemes of flooded rice culture. These schemes were continuous irrigation and intermittent irrigation. Careful measurements of irrigation, precipitation, evapotranspiration, deep percolation and runoff were made, and the total water balance for the two water management schemes was calculated.The results show continuous irrigation to be very wasteful of water with slightly over 1 m of irrigation water applied to supply an evapotranspirational need of 0.5–0.6 m. The intermittent irrigation management is less wasteful but still could be improved upon. Suggestions are presented for techniques to help improve the water use efficiency and reduce runoff losses.     

A mathematical model for simulating water balances in cropped sandy soil with conventional flood irrigation applied

In this paper, a model that integrates various complex model components for the purposes of water balance modeling throughout crop development in arid inland region under the conventional flood irrigation practiced is presented. These components are modules for calculating dynamic soil water content based Richard's equation, potential and actual evapotranspiration, and crop root water uptake. Soil water content in the active root zone and soil evaporation simulation obtained from the model were test using field data in 2003. The low values of MARE and high values of R² and PE in the active root zone of soil profile as well as daily soil evaporation indicated that the soil water balance simulation model presented in the paper can be used with reliable accuracy to simulate the components of water balance in cropped sandy soil under the conventional flood irrigation condition in arid inland regions. The model simulation on components of water balance using observed field data in 2004 indicated that large quantities – about 43% of irrigation water (amounting to 840 mm) – were consumed by deep percolation, only small (less than 41%) proportions of irrigation water used by the plants for transpiration. The current irrigation scheme is characterized by the unreasonable agricultural water management with the waste of water in the irrigational system in this region. The impact of irrigation scheduling on water balance presented in this paper showed that the reasonable irrigation scheme with more frequent irrigation and less amounts is more suitable for the irrigation of spring wheat in Heihe River basin, northwest China. Therefore, to establish a decision-making system for agricultural irrigation scheme and to utilize the limited water resources in this region have become an urgent problem that needs to be solved.     

Best management of pesticide — furrow irrigation systems

Summary Effects of furrow irrigation designs, water management practices (irrigation scheduling, etc.), soil types and pesticide parameters on pesticide leaching were simulated. A hydraulic kinematic-wave irrigation model was used to estimate water infiltration for alternative furrow lengths and inflow rates. A one-dimensional simulation model then simulated the movement of pesticides through soils following furrow irrigation. Potential ground-water contamination by pesticides can be reduced by an integrated use of the best management practices (BMPs) such as careful selection and use of pesticides, efficient furrow irrigation designs and improved water management techniques (irrigation scheduling, etc.). Procedures for designing an appropriate furrow irrigation system for a particular site and pesticide, and selecting pesticides for a particular site, crop and furrow irrigation system are illustrated. These procedures are being used to develop decision support computer models for developing different BMPs for pesticide-agricultural management decisions.     

Didactic tools for supporting participatory water management in collective irrigation schemes

In many irrigation schemes, Water Users Associations (WUAs) acquired the responsibility for water management after withdrawal of the state. Based on the success of some indigenous irrigation schemes, it was assumed that farmers could easily become managers. As decision-making was the exclusive terrain of the governmental agencies that ran the schemes, farmers never gained the necessary experience with water management. Therefore, training of farmers and WUAs on the principles and processes of water management is essential. This paper demonstrates a practical example of training material on water management that incorporates research results on the process of Irrigation Management Transfer and resulting farmers’ water management for the case of the Office du Niger irrigation scheme. The results of the paper explain how input from research was used in the four steps of the construction of training material. These steps are (1) setting the training agenda, (2) selecting and adapting information to be featured, (3) targeting the audience and (4) designing the actual training material. A first validation of the approach and examples of the actual training material were obtained in a workshop uniting all stakeholders.