Modified Irrigation Sustainability Index for the evaluation of irrigation systems in low-impact agricultural basins, case study in the upper Tarqui river basin, Ecuador

Sustainable irrigation systems promote soil and water conservation, without degrading the environment, being economically viable and socially acceptable. Consequently, this study aims to calculate a novel approach to modify the current method to calculate the irrigation sustainability index (ISI) for efficient use and management of natural resources. The current method to estimate ISI require large surveying of historical data associated with intensive irrigation areas. In most cases limiting the application of the index for countries or regions with scarce data about irrigation technology, management, and traditional irrigation systems. A new methodology has been proposed to overcome these limitations, adjusting the index for the study area in Southern Ecuador. The modified irrigation sustainability index (MISI) evaluated in the Tarqui river basin, comprises three main components: biogeographic, sociodemographic and institutional, each component is integrated by a set of correlated parameters and some modifications were proposed. Thus, the index can be universally used, this modification changes the weights in the calculation expression, making it more relevant and therefore the index can be adjusted easily to a low-impact agricultural basin. The MISI index is presented as a useful alternative for diverse types of irrigation systems using the weighted method and its adjustment. The results support decision-making by showing the value of the irrigation sustainability index to understand the intermediate evaluated parameters to improve the system. The preliminary results show that MISI can support the SDG in terms of global comparison since can be adaptable to local/regional scales, allowing comparisons with the diverse classification of irrigation technologies. Besides, MISI is a valuable tool for tracking and tackling current and future irrigation problems in irrigation districts.

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the support of the Master in Hydrology  (major in Ecohydrology) of Universidad de Cuenca, co-funded by SDG^nexus Network of the DAAD program. The authors also acknowledge support from the European Union NextGenerationEU and RD 289/2021 and the support of Project No. PGC2018-093854-B-I00 of the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades of Spain.

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