Evaluating agricultural sustainability of Fars province with compromise programming approach

Authors

Abstract

In this study, agricultural sustainability of selected cities of Fars province evaluated with using the model of agricultural sustainability and compromise programming method. In this regard, data were collected from various sources such as Fars province organization of agricultural Jahad and Fars Regional Water Authority in 1385. As the results, cities of the province were classified into three groups, sustainable (including Kazerun, Lamerd, Mamasani and Abadeh cities), relatively sustainable group (including Lar, Eghlid, Firozabad, Fasa, Darab and Arsenjan cities) and unsustainable group (including Marvdasht, Estahban, Shiraz and Jahrom cities). These results indicate that sustainable group with features including groundwater balance, more diversity in crops and low percentage of lands of these cities has 1% organic matter. Furthermore, high nitrate concentration in groundwater, more negative balance of groundwater, less using of efficient irrigation systems, and over using of pesticides and chemical fertilizers are the remarkable features of unsustainable groups.
 

Keywords


1. Abay, C., Miran, B. and Gunden, B. 2004. An analysis of input
use efficiency in tobacco production with respect to
sustainability: The case study of Turkey, Journal of Sustainable
Agriculture, 24: 123–143.
2. Bosetti, V., and Locatelli, G 2006. A data envelopment analysis
approach to the assessment of natural parks' economic efficiency
and sustainability. The case of Italian national parks, Sustainable
Development, 14:277–286.
3. Boyramnezhad, V .2006. Quantification of sustainability using
fractional programming in agricultural sector, Agricultural
Economic and Development, 54: 179-196.
4. Chang, N.B., Yeh, S.C. and. Wu, G.C. 1999. Stability of grey
compromise programming and its application to watershed landuse
planning. International Journal of Systems Science, 30(6):
571-589.
5. Cornelissen, A.M.G., Van Dd Berg, J., Koops, W.J. and Udo,
H.M.J. 2001. Assessment of the contribution of sustainability
indicators to sustainable development: a novel approach using
fuzzy set theory, Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 86(2):
173-185.
6. De Koeijer, T.J., Wossink, G.A.A., Struik, P.C. and Renkema,
L.A. 2002. Measuring agricultural sustainability in terms of
efficiency: the case of Dutch sugar beet growers, Journal of
Environmental Management, 66:9-17.
7. Esmaeili, A.R. 2006. Environmental study and measurement of
residual nitrogen fertilizer on soil and water resources of Fars
province. Management and planning organization.
8. Farshad, A. and Zinck, J.A. 2001. Assessing agricultural
sustainability using the six pillar models: Iran as a case study.
Agroecosystem sustainability. S.R. Gliessman (Ed). CRC.
9. Hayati, D. 1995. Effective Social - economic structures and crop
production on technical knowledge of sustainable agriculture and
Wheat farmers sustainable farming systems in the Fars province.
Master of science Thesis in Shiraz University.
10. Heydari, F., Hasanshahi, H., Abdollahi, H. and Neyazi, J. 2008.
Soil, the forgotten alchemy. Mostafavi pab;ication.
11. Iravani, H. and Darban Astaneh, A.R. 2004. Measuring, analyzing
and explaining productivity of wheat production systems (case
study: Tehran Province). Iranian Journal of Agricultural Science,
35(1): 39-52.
12. Koochaki, A., Hosseini, M. and khazaei, H. 1997. Sustainable
Agricultural systems. ACECR Mashhad Branch Publication
Center.
13. Korfmacher, K.S. 2000. Farmland preservation and sustainable
agriculture: Grassroots and policy connections, American Journal
of Alternative Agriculture, 15(1): 37-43.
14. Mahdavi Damghani, A., Koochaki, A. and Rezvani Moghadam,
P. 2004. Sustainability indices: tools for quanifying concepts of
ecological agriculture. Environmental Sciences, 4: 1-10.
15. Management and planning organization. 2000. Fars Statistical
Year Book.
16. Manoloadis, O.G. 2002. Development of Ecological indicators- a
methodological framework using compromise programming,
Ecological indicators, 2:169-176.
17. Manyong, M.N., Degand, J. 1997. Measurement of sustainability
of African smallholder farming systems: case study of a systems
approach, IITA Research, 14(15):1-6.
18. Ministry of Jihad-e-Agriculture. 2005. Statistics of crop
production costs. Statistics and Information Technology Center.
19. Mitchell, G. 1996. Problems and fundamentals of sustainable
development indicators. Sustainable Development, 4: 1-11.
20. Nambiar, K.K.M., Gupta, A.P., Fu, Q. and Li, S. 2001.
Biophysical, chemical and socio-economic indicators for
assessing agricultural sustainability in the Chinese coastal zone.
Agricultural Economics Environmental., 87: 209-214.
21. Pannell, D.J. and Schillizi, S. 1999. Sustainable agriculture: a
matter of ecology, equity, economic efficiency or expedience?
Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 13: 57-66.
22. Rao, N.H., Rogers, P.P. 2006. Assessment of agricultural
sustainability. Current Science, 91(4): 439- 448
23. Rennings, K. and Wiggering, H. 1997. Steps towards indicators
of sustainable development: linking economic and ecological
concepts, Ecological Economics, 20: 25-36.
24. Perti, A.N. 2002. Recreating agriculture: policies and actions for
sustainability and self-sufficiency. Kashani, A.R. Journal of Rural
Development, 46.
25. Rafiei Dani, H. 2005. An investigation of the determinations of
adoption and development of sprinkler irrigation (case study:
Isfahan Province). Master of science Thesis in Shiraz University.
26. Romero, C., Rehman, T. and Domingo, J. 1988. Compromise–
risk programming for agricultural resource allocation problems,
Journal of Agricultural Economics, 39: 271-276.
27. Sabouhi, M. and Alvanchi, M. 2008. Application of multi
objective and compromise programming to farm lanning: a case
study of Mashhad plain. Journal of Agricultural Sciences and
Natural Resources, 15(4):1-14.
28. Sauer, J. and Abdallah, J. M. 2007. Forest diversity, tobacco
production and resource management in Tanzania. Forest Policy
and Economics, 9: 421–439.
29. Senanayake, R. 1991. Sustainable agriculture: definitions and
parameters for measurement, Journal of Sustainable Agriculture,
1(4): 7-28.
30. Seyedan, S.M. and Ghadmi Firouzabadi, A. 2006. Selection of the
best irrigation systems using compromise programming: a case
study of Hamedan province). Pajouhesh & sazandegi, 73: 177-
183.
31. Shannon, C.E. and Wiener, W. 1963. The mathematical theory of
communication. Univ. Illinois press. Urbana. 1-117.
32. Shiau, J. and Lee, H. 2005. Derivation of optimal hedging rules
for a water-supply reservoir through compromise programming,
Water Resources Management, 19(2):111-132.
33. Stokes, J.R. and Tozer, P.R. 2002. Sire selection with multiple
objective. Agricultural System, 73: 147-164.
34. Soltani, GH.R. 1997. Biological technology and sustainable
development of agriculture. Agricultural Economic and
Development, 40:215-238.
35. Sydorovych, O. and Wossimk, A. 2008. An application of
conjoint analysis in agricultural sustainability assessment. 12th
EAAE congress. Gent (Belgium). 
36. Tecle, A. and Yitayam, M. 1990. Preference ranking of
alternative irrigation technologies via a milti criterion decisionmaking
procedure, Transaction of ASAE, 33: 1509-1517.
37. Zebaei, M. and Bakhshoodeh, M. 2008. Ranking irrigation
technologies using a multicriterion decision-making processs: a
case study in Fars province. Journal of Economics and
Agriculture Development, 22(1):3-13.
38. Ziyaei, S. 2000. Economic evaluation of irrigation systems and
application of compromise programming to selecting the
appropriate method of irrigation. Master of science Thesis in
Shiraz University.