Climate variability and farmers’ desire to improve the crop yield have resulted in an increase in irrigated agriculture in the mid-Atlantic region. However, the huge initial capital cost associated with the installation and operation of irrigation systems is generally prohibitive, with most farmers finding difficulty in justifying the expenditure, and uncertainty of the overall return on their investment. The objective of this study was to develop a decision tool for farmers in temperate regions to evaluate the cost-benefit of irrigation installations. The developed irrigation economic model involved the development of an economic component that balances the expected economic return, based on anticipated crop yield increases due to supplemental irrigation, versus the water, maintenance, and capital costs associated with the irrigation system. Model development included the input of relevant data and required local calibration. Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) output files were used as the basis for data input into the irrigation economic model. An irrigation-scheduling component was incorporated into the model to prescribe irrigation volumes for each agricultural field defined within the area of interest. The economic component of the model identifies and prioritizes those fields in which supplemental irrigation will result in the greatest economic return in terms of increased agricultural production and revenue. The study is conducted on the Pocomoke river basin in the Coastal Plain of Maryland’s eastern shore. Results showed that irrigation system selection was mainly influenced by cost of water and irrigation installation costs, and to a lesser extent by physical characteristics of the terrain and the associated properties.

中文翻译：

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开发用于温带灌溉应用经济分析的决策支持系统

气候变化和农民提高作物产量的愿望导致大西洋中部地区灌溉农业的增加。然而，与灌溉系统的安装和运行相关的巨额初始资本成本通常令人望而却步，大多数农民发现难以证明支出的合理性，并且他们的总体投资回报不确定。本研究的目的是为温带地区的农民开发一种决策工具，以评估灌溉设施的成本效益。发达的灌溉经济模型涉及开发一种经济成分，以平衡预期经济回报，基于补充灌溉带来的预期作物产量增加，与与灌溉系统相关的水、维护和资本成本。模型开发包括相关数据的输入和所需的本地校准。土壤和水评估工具 (SWAT) 输出文件被用作灌溉经济模型数据输入的基础。将灌溉调度组件纳入模型，为感兴趣区域内定义的每个农田规定灌溉量。该模型的经济部分确定并优先考虑补充灌溉将在增加农业产量和收入方面带来最大经济回报的领域。该研究是在马里兰州东岸沿海平原的波科莫克河流域进行的。结果表明，灌溉系统的选择主要受水费和灌溉安装费的影响，