Download Poster_SHARP_PP2_Tools for Water Management Plans2

nd
2
International Conference
Graz, October
th
10 ,
2012
SHARP
PP 2: Region of Western Macedonia
Existing Good Practices
Tools for Water Management Plans
The pilot implementation of a Decision Support System (DSS) as a tool for the development of a Water Management Plan in the
region in order to support the spatial development planning process. The system aims to facilitate and optimize the decision-making
process relating to the problems of land use, water management and environmental protection.
The DSS implemented in RWM is based on a Multicriteria Mathematical Programming model (MCDM model) and can achieve the
optimum production plan in the area combining different criteria to farmers’ utility function under a set of constraints concerning
different categories of land, labor, available capital, etc. The model was also used to simulate different scenarios and policies due to
changes on different social, economic and environmental parameters (e.g. different levels of chemicals or water consumption per
crop). This way, alternative production plans and agricultural land uses were acquired, as well as economic, social and
environmental impacts of different policies.
The model includes a set of constraints related with Common Agricultural The data that feed the model are the following:
Policy (CAP). There are also market, agronomical and rotational constraints • Crops of the study region
as well as constraints for labor and fertilizers:
• Yields
Total cultivation area, CAP, Market and other constraints and Rotational and
• Prices
agronomic considerations.
• Subsidies
Also, the model is based on weighted goal programming (WGP). This
methodology is used to estimate a surrogate utility function in order to • Income
• Variable costs (six categories to describe inputs
simulate farmers’ decision-making processes as follows:
and variable costs: (1) seeds; (2) fertilizers; (3)
1. Establishment of a set of objectives/criteria that are considered most
chemicals; (4) machinery; (5) labor; and (6) cost
important for farmers.
of water)
2. Determination of the payoff matrix for the above objectives.
• Gross margin
3. Estimation of a set of weights that optimally reflect farmers’ objectives
• Fertilizer use
with the use of the payoff matrix.
• Water consumption
The Benefits of the application of the Model / DSS
• Allocation of utilized agricultural area of the
Optimizes the production plan of an agricultural region taking in account
study region
the available resources, the environmental parameters, and the
• Vulnerability maps of the study region
vulnerability map of the region.
Supports spatial development planning process and agricultural land use
Facilitates the decision-making process relating to the problems of land
use/water management/environmental protection.
Enables regional authorities to design optimal spatial development policies
User friendly to facilitate the case of users with less informatics
background
Helps to develop strategies for optimal development of agricultural regions
and groundwater protection from agricultural land uses
Promotes sustainable planning processes and environmental protection of
agricultural regions
Simulates different scenarios and policies by the local stakeholders due to
changes on different social, economic, and environmental parameters. In
this way, they can achieve alternative production plans and agricultural
land uses as well as to estimate economic, social, and environmental
impacts of different policies
It is based on sound scientific techniques (mathematical models,
vulnerability maps)
Fig. 1: Comparing different scenarios with the use of DSS model