Sustainability in agricultural is determined by aspects like economy, society and environment. Multi-objective programming (MOP) model has been a widely used tool for studying and analyzing the sustainability of agricultural system. However, optimization models in most More
Sustainability in agricultural is determined by aspects like economy, society and environment. Multi-objective programming (MOP) model has been a widely used tool for studying and analyzing the sustainability of agricultural system. However, optimization models in most applications are forced to use data which is uncertain. Recently, robust optimization has been used as an optimization model that incorporates uncertainty. This paper develops a framework for environmental-economic decision making that includes the environmental and economic sustainability criteria for determining an optimal allocation of agricultural areas that cover an irrigation network under uncertain data. The primary uncertain parameter of the robust model was quantity of available water for each season. Application of the proposed model to the case study of the right side of Nekooabad irrigation network in the province of Isfahan, Iran, demonstrates the reliability and flexibility of the model. The results show that that the optimal total gross margin decreases with higher robustness levels. To compensate loss of gross margin of farmers in the robust pattern, efficiency enhancement policies emphasized.
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A reason for the success of the agricultural sector in developed countries is the regulation of farm size as it allows for the scale economy of production. Considering that the size of agricultural production units should be specifically determined based on the crop and More
A reason for the success of the agricultural sector in developed countries is the regulation of farm size as it allows for the scale economy of production. Considering that the size of agricultural production units should be specifically determined based on the crop and the area where it is produced, this study aims to determine the optimum size of rice farms in Fereydunkenar County, Mazandaran Province. So, 198 farmers were randomly interviewed in 2014. The results show that the optimal economic size of the farms in the study area is 1.949 ha, 43% larger than the average cultivation area in the region. The results of the technical efficiency using the Stochastic Nonparametric Envelopment of Data model (StoNED) also show that paddy size has a direct correlation with the efficiency of these units in the studied area and production in larger farms is more economical and efficient. Therefore, it is suggested to consider plans to encourage rice farmers to establish cooperatives and change their farm management style from small farm owning to integrated management.
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