Hidden issues and challenges of the concept and use of water productivity index

Document Type : Review

Author

• Nader Heydari

Associate Professor, Irrigation and Drainage Dep. AERI Institute

Abstract

Keywords

• "Basin"
• "Challenge"
• "Field"
• "Water productivity"
• "Water use"

Hidden issues and challenges of the concept and use of water productivity

EXTENDED ABSTRACT

Introduction

The water productivity index (WP), which is defined as the crop produced per unit of consumed water, was launched in the world with the aim of reducing water consumption and allocating more water to the environment. In compliance with that, this theoretical concept and index has presented itself in the literature and even in the macro-level laws and documents and development plans of Iran. Therefore, it has been considered as a key measure and indicator in the optimal use of water in the agricultural sector, and has been heavily relied upon in the Iran's agricultural water policies and plans.

However despite several years have passed since the introduction of this concept and index, unfortunately, water crisis still exists and is expanding in the country and measures to increase WP in agriculture have not yet been able to effectively solve the country's water scarcity issues.

There are various issues and challenge in use of concepts and indicators explaining the optimal and efficient use of water in practice, and they should not be relied on without the necessary studies and evaluations. Therefore, the objective of this review-analytical paper is to investigate and analyze the hidden issues and challenges of the WP index in its practical use with the aim of managing and mitigating agricultural water crisis in Iran.

Materials and Methods

The research method is mainly based on collecting and reviewing international and national scientific literature related to the subject, use of the national results and statistics, macro-level national laws and documents, experiences and opinions of the experts, together with the required analysis and discussions.

This review-analytical paper deals with the problems and challenges of using the WP index in practice. Therefore shortcomings, challenges, arrangements, and necessary infrastructure for the optimal use of this concept and index have been discussed and analyzed.

Results and Discussion

According to the results, the WP index has hidden problems and challenges in its application in practice. These include: 1) The need to properly understand the concept and definition of WP in the water and agriculture experts and management community of the country, 2)The problems and issues of using the index from the aspect of lack of the required infrastructure for the proper impacts of improving WP in mitigating water scarcity, 3) Real and correct understanding of the concept from the aspects of the existence of internal relationship between the numerator and the denominator of the index and the correct selection of relevant solutions for the effectiveness of the activities and interventions, 4) Weaknesses in in index in regard to defining WP in conditions out of human management in the production of agricultural products, 5) Issues and challenges related to comparing the results of WP values ​​in different biophysical, geographical, and management conditions, 6) The challenge of choosing productivity approaches. i.e. physical or economic WP and choosing the optimal national index for water management and choosing the appropriate cropping pattern, 7) The challenge of choosing a management scale and the issues of determining WP at the basin scale, and 8) The existence of flaws and shortcomings in the WP index itself in terms of its comprehensiveness to apply it as an index.

Conclusion

In response to the question whether improving WP can be a fundamental solution to solve the Iran's water scarcity and save the country from this crisis, it must be acknowledged that the answer depends on the difficult choices that policymakers have to make regarding water resources, as well as the provision of necessary hardware, software, legal and policy infrastructures for the related comprehensive solutions and interventions which includes: volume delivery of water, water accounting, preventing the expansion of cultivated area, preventing the changing of the copping pattern to water-intensive crops, updating laws and creating the necessary executive guarantees for the implementation of approved laws, comprehensiveness and having a regional and national perspective, taking into account the participation of the stakeholders, and providing the necessary financial resources. Accomplishing these criteria is very complicated due to the diverse goals and interests of different actors and the various scales and systems in which the use of agricultural water is placed, and doing all of them may not be practical in the short term.

Considering the hidden issues and challenges mentioned, improving WP could not be a sole measure to solve the country's water crisis, because it fulfills just initial conditions. In order to fulfill conditions sufficiently and to implement related comprehensive measures and interventions, the necessary hardware, software, legal, and policy infrastructures also must be provided.