Investigating the Sustainability of Farming Systems Regarding Economic and Environmental Objectives: Case Study of Kamfirooz Region

Document Type : Research Paper

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Increasing competition for water among farmers accompanying chemical pollution due to current land management practices has caused unsustainability in Kamfirooz region, in Fars province, Iran. The bio-economic modeling approach described in this paper offers a new methodological framework to analyze the implications of alternative water-soil management practices. The suggested model combines a biophysical model (WinEPIC) and a mathematical programming model of farmers' economic behavior with game theory, providing a more realistic representation of economic agri-environmental attitudes. This paper investigates optimal solutions for the conflicting objectives between the two players, the farmers and the environment. The application of four conflict resolution methods indicated that players can compromise to balance their conflicting objectives. This study indicated that it is possible to manage sustainable agricultural systems and a protection of resources to be used in the future by applying the appropriate management practices. The results demonstrated that giving equal weight to environmental and economic attitudes results in 20%, 81% and 5.4% improvements in water, nitrogen and phosphorus loss indicators, respectively, while decreasing only 4% of gross margin.

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