Abstract

ZETINA-ESPINOSA, Ana M. et al. Economic value of water in irrigation district 044, Jilotepec, Estado de México. agric. soc. desarro [online]. 2013, vol.10, n.2, pp.139-156. ISSN 1870-5472.

The importance of water cannot be exaggerated; water can be found in many parts of Earth: oceans and seas, rivers and lakes, lagoons, etc. The objective of this study was to propose an optimal scheme for the crop pattern in Irrigation District 044 (DR044) in Jilotepec, Estado de México, and to estimate the economic value of water under seven different scenarios, according to the cultivation pattern of the last ten agricultural cycles. A linear programming model was used for the optimization of income and the quantification of the marginal product value of water, taking 37 cyclic and perennial agricultural activities and introducing 62 restrictions. Results showed a difference of 2.2 million pesos between the current situation and the economic ideal. Under a scenario of optimal allotment without surface restriction, maize (the main crop) would be replaced by wheat and fruit trees. The estimated value of the marginal product of water was between 0.96 and 5.72 pesos per m³ in the Fall-Winter cycle and between 0.03 and 0.21 pesos per m³ in Spring-Summer. In every case, these economic prices of water are higher than the fees paid by users in the DR044; therefore, a gradual increase of fees could optimize the use and mitigate the waste.

Keywords : water scarcity; economic ideal; linear programming.