A Management Analysis Tool for Emancipated and Public Irrigation Areas Using Neural Networks

Abstract

The management transfer of irrigation districts from the public to the private sector became a broad strategy throughout the world. Although the extent to which the process is being implemented, there is little information available on the results of these transfer programs. In addition, there is no established procedure to analyze economic feasibility and general performance of the irrigation districts. In this context, the aim of this research was to develop a model to evaluate the performance of self-managed irrigated areas transferred from public sector to private irrigator associations. A list of performance indicators proposed by the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts to monitor the public perimeters and pre-classification information from two public companies, San Francisco and Parnaiba Valleys Development Company (CODEVASF) and National Department of Works Against Droughts (DNOCS) were used in this research. A statistical multivariate model with discriminant analysis (MDA) was performed to identify the indicators importance in order to discriminate the current level of the irrigation areas. The data resulting from multivariate discriminant analysis was used to create an artificial neural network (ANN) that classifies the irrigated areas related to management. It was observed that the indicator Generated Revenue per Hectare (GRH) was the most important in the discriminating process regarding self-management. The neural network created from the values of the performance function resulted from multivariate discriminant Water Resour Manage analysis showed be capable of assessing the performance of Irrigated Perimeters over time and also be adequate as a tool for resource allocation and evaluation of self-managed irrigated areas.

A global analysis of irrigation scheme water supplies in relation to requirements

“…Sprinkler and localized systems performed similarly and much better than the surface system (Figure 3). The superiority of the two pressurized systems vs. surface irrigation was expected and in consonance with the results in other regional comparative assessments (Gonçalves et al, 2015). However, Serra-Wittling et al (2019) reported that in all the French experiments comparing localized with sprinkler systems, the former never used more water than the latter, and in most experiments it used significantly less.…”

Evaluating irrigation scheme performance in a tropical environment: The Guanacaste scheme, Costa Rica*

“…Technology for measuring the actual amount of water supplied to secondary canals and farms is becoming more common (Lozano and Mateos, 2008), helping to reduce non‐consumptive use and allowing better‐adjusted water delivery schedules (Clemmens and Bos, 1990). In addition, at farm level, promoting the use of pressurized irrigation systems, where viable, should reduce some of the losses that occur under surface irrigation (Gonçalves et al ., 2015). These kinds of improvement could facilitate the adjustment of the water supply to the evapotranspiration plus the leaching requirements and, indirectly, to close crop yield gaps.…”

Pros and cons of furrow irrigation on smallholdings in northeast Brazil

“…surface irrigation in CPIS. In turn, Gonçalves et al (2015) attributed the poor performance of CPIS to the on-farm irrigation method. Moreover, the delivery and maintenance service initially provided by CPIS was drastically reduced in the 1980s.…”