Agricultural Irrigation Water Allocation Planning and Economic Benefit Assessment – A Case Study of Kinmen County

Agricultural development in Kinmen region has long suffered from the absence of a corresponding management unit responsible for irrigation planning and infrastructure maintenance, resulting in the majority of local farmlands relying on natural rainfall for cultivation. Unfortunately, this method is highly susceptible to the impacts of climate change. To address this pressing issue, the government plans to utilize reclaimed water from domestic sources as a supplementary irrigation resource. Within this context, this study aims to devise an irrigation water allocation model to optimally harness the limited water resources.

In this study, we simulate the crop rotation of local sorghum and wheat, considering soil, crop, and historical meteorological data. We calculate the variations in crop yield under different irrigation schemes. Additionally, we use historical meteorological data from Kinmen to calculate various simulated climates, testing the benefits of this irrigation plan under more extreme weather conditions. In conclusion, guided by the simulation outcomes and considerations of factors like cost and government procurement prices, we undertake a comparative analysis of the economic benefits under various scenarios and irrigation plans. This analysis aims to pinpoint the optimal irrigation water allocation plan that can be feasibly implemented by local farmers.

For this study, we have chosen a 100-hectare demonstration area located in Jinsha Town, Kinmen, as our study area. We will utilize 750 tons of reclaimed water provided daily by the Ronghu Water Resources Recycling Center as the irrigation water source, and the government has already established six agricultural ponds in the area to store water. Following this, our study will proceed with the implementation of the irrigation water allocation plan in the designated demonstration area. Our ultimate aim is for this initiative to serve as a starting point, enabling the systematic expansion of the irrigation water allocation plan to other regions in Kinmen, thereby enhancing the overall irrigation quality.

Keywords: Irrigation Water Allocation Model; Reclaimed Water; Rotation Irrigation; Kinmen; Sorghum