Economic optimization model for planning production and use of irrigation water in urban agriculture

Abstract

An economic optimization model is proposed for production planning (based on optimal use of irrigation water) in urban agricultural units. The model is based on the use of the Monte Carlo simulation to determine the irrigation needs of the crops in the area, for three different scenarios (dry, medium and wet year) and on the use of the Linear Programming to determine the alternatives of optimal crops in the period. It is concluded with the decision making in risk environment and the elaboration of an aggregated production plan. It is a novel model, due to the inclusion of techniques little used in the country for the production planning, the adjustment to the particular conditions of the study area, the insertion in the analysis of water cost and the purpose of finding the alternatives of crops that maximize the economic utility obtained by cubic meter of water used. The model was submitted to expert criteria and qualified as Very Relevant. It was also partially applied in the Unit "El Tunerito" of the city of Las Tunas, for the planning of the production of the period September-December 2019, where a difference was obtained with respect to the traditional planning of increase of profit in $6368.00 and decrease of the water consumption in 48m³.