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Factors affecting the economic benefits of sprinkler uniformity and their implications for irrigation water use

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Abstract

Adoption of more uniform sprinkler systems involves a trade off between increased capital expenditure on equipment and the benefits associated with reduced water application when application is uniform. An empirical analysis of the economics of lettuce production, grown using sprinkler systems under the windy conditions of the Swan Coastal plain in Western Australia is presented, where the yield response to water exhibits eventual declining marginal productivity. A range of sprinkler designs that have been field-tested for performance were examined. The optimal per-crop water application for the least efficient system was up to double the application rate of the most efficient system. However, the economic analysis demonstrates that there are clear incentives for adopting more water-efficient systems despite the higher capital cost, because of the yield depressing effect of over-watering. Sensitivity analysis demonstrates substantially poorer incentives for improving irrigation efficiency when yield relationships follow a Mitscherlich functional form.

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Notes

  1. This assumption is based on discussions with an irrigation specialist working in the region, who suggested that the high irrigation demand together with limitations on pump capacity meant that farmers had little flexibility in adjusting irrigation timing over summer months (Tim Calder, Personal Communication, November 2005).

  2. Tim Calder provided assistance in determining the material requirements for each sprinkler system using the IRRICAD software.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Policy and Economics Research Unit, CSIRO Land and Water, Centre for Environment and Life Sciences, Private Bag 5, Wembley, WA, 6913, Australia

    Donna Brennan

  2. School of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    Donna Brennan

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  1. Donna Brennan
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Correspondence to Donna Brennan.

Additional information

Communicated by E. Fereres.

Appendix

Appendix

Table 3.

Table 3 Summary of variables used in the analysis
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Brennan, D. Factors affecting the economic benefits of sprinkler uniformity and their implications for irrigation water use. Irrig Sci 26, 109–119 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-007-0077-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-007-0077-9

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