Improving Agro-ecosystems Resilience in Water Limited Areas Through Smart Irrigation Management: Economic Analysis at the Farm Level

The expansion of intensive irrigation in the central part of Tunisia has introduced the challenge of groundwater sustainability as water table is lowering at the rate of 1–2 m per year. More productive and resilient agriculture requires changes in natural resources management, particularly water and energy. Smart water management for precision irrigation in agriculture is essential for enhancing crop yield and efficient use of water, improving irrigation scheduling, decreasing farming costs while sustaining the environment. It also contributes to make agriculture more resilient to future water-related shocks and global economic changes. Within Sustainable Production in Water Limited Areas of Mediterranean Agro-Systems (SUPROMED) project, we have selected two groups of farms situated in the same areas with similar environmental conditions. In the first sample, the irrigation of selected crops (wheat, oat, olive, pistachios and almond trees) was scheduled by MOPECO model according to soil characteristics, crop types, weather conditions and irrigation network characteristics. For the second, the farmers were left to perform the prevailing water irrigation management. The main objective of this study was to assess the MOPECO irrigation scheduling at the farm level. Agronomic yields, water productivity, farmer’s income and gross margin resilience towards market prices variability were used as indicators to compare such management to the prevailing one. Results showed that smart irrigation management allowed better yields and water use productivity, comparative to conventional management. The farmer’s incomes were also higher. Results also showed that under smart management the gross margin of selected crops become more resilient towards market prices variability leading thus to better economic viability of farming systems in the water limited environments.