Virtual water trade and water footprint accounting of Saffron production in Iran

Bazrafshan, Ommolbanin; Etedali, Hadi Ramezani; Moshizi, Zahra Gerkani Nezhad; Shamili, Mansoore

doi:10.1016/j.agwat.2018.10.034

Cited by 51 publications

(20 citation statements)

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“…Withdrawal of groundwater to produce crops with high WFs has caused severe decline of the groundwater level (Shokoohi et al ., ; Mojtabavi et al ., ). Alteration of cropping patterns and cultivation of crops with lower WF or water requirements, such as saffron (Bazrafshan et al ., ), can substantially reduce the pressure on groundwater resources in this water‐scarce region of the country.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In central and southern provinces like Esfahan, Kerman, Yazd, Fars, Lorestan, Khuzestan and Hormozgan, the WF Total of irrigated wheat, barley and maize is higher, which is particularly important as these provinces have faced a severe water crisis over the last three decades. Scarce surface water resources and excessive withdrawal of groundwater have caused decline of the groundwater level in this part of the country (Bazrafshan et al, 2019). The results of the clustering process show that reducing the WF Total of wheat, barley and maize through improved irrigation efficiency and adjustment of cropping patterns by shifting towards crops with lower WF or water requirements are crucial in this part of the country.…”

Section: Clusteringmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both rainfed and irrigated farming systems are common in Iran. There have been a few studies conducted to investigate the impact of spatial variations of climate, management and soil on the agricultural water footprint in Iran (Montazar and Zadbagher, 2010;Ramezani Etedali, 2014, 2017;Bazrafshan et al, 2019). Most of water footprint (WF) studies conducted across the country have been limited to small areas or a specific crop (Dehghanpur and Bakhshoodeh, 2008;Arabi et al, 2012;Babazadeh and Sarai Tabrizi, 2012;Pourjafarinejad et al, 2013;Omidi and Homaee, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Optimization of the Cropping Pattern of Main Cereals and Improving Water Productivity: Application of the Water Footprint Concept

Etedali

Ahmadaali

Gorgin

et al. 2019

Irrigation and Drainage

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Different components of water footprint (WF) (green, blue, grey and white) and WF volume (WFV) were estimated for three main cereal crops in Iran (wheat, barley and maize) in the main cereal‐producing provinces. In order to classify the selected provinces according to their corresponding WFVs, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was applied for clustering the WFV of maize, barley and wheat in irrigated and rainfed conditions. Then, the linear programming (LP) technique was used to determine the optimal cultivated area for cereals in order to minimize the total national WFV in irrigated and rainfed lands. The WFV of wheat, barley and maize production in irrigated lands were estimated to be 25 100, 5980 and 4610 Mm3 yr−1, respectively, under the current practice. The optimized values of WFV under irrigated conditions were 877, 338 and 374 Mm3 yr−1 lower than the current values, implying nearly 3.5, 5.7 and 8.1% achievable reductions. The reduction in rainfed lands was estimated to be 332 Mm3 yr−1 or 2.9% for wheat (from 11 300 to 11 000 Mm3 year−1) and 338 Mm3 yr−1 or 5.7% for barley (from 5950 to 5610 Mm3 yr−1). The results show that by optimizing the cultivated area of the main cereals in Iran, 2,210 Mm3 yr−1 or 4.5% of the national WFV could be saved. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Clusteringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Optimization of the Cropping Pattern of Main Cereals and Improving Water Productivity: Application of the Water Footprint Concept

Etedali

Ahmadaali

Gorgin

et al. 2019

Irrigation and Drainage

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“…Date palm is one of Iran's main crops whose footprint index and economic value was evaluated by Bazrafshan et al 39 . Another important crop in Iran is saffron, whose water footprint in the provinces of Iran was investigated by Bazrafshan et al 38 . The most suitable provinces for saffron cultivation were determined in terms of the share of water footprint and the amount of virtual water exports abroad.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal virtual water flows for improved food security in water-scarce countries

Maroufpoor

Bozorg‐Haddad

Maroufpoor

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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The worsening water scarcity has imposed a significant stress on food production in many parts of the world. This stress becomes more critical when countries seek self-sufficiency. A literature review shows that food self-sufficiency has not been assessed as the main factor in determining the optimal cultivation patterns. However, food self-sufficiency is one of the main policies of these countries and requires the most attention and concentration. Previous works have focused on the virtual water trade to meet regional food demand and to calculate trade flows. The potential of the trade network can be exploited to improve the cropping pattern to ensure food and water security. To this end, and based on the research gaps mentioned, this study develops a method to link intra-country trade networks, food security, and total water footprints (WFs) to improve food security. The method is applied in Iran, a water-scarce country. The study shows that 781 × 106 m3 of water could be saved by creating a trade network. Results of the balanced trade network are input to a multi-objective optimization model to improve cropping patterns based on the objectives of achieving food security and preventing water crises. The method provides 400 management scenarios to improve cropping patterns considering 51 main crops in Iran. Results show a range of improvements in food security (19–45%) and a decrease in WFs (2–3%). The selected scenario for Iran would reduce the blue water footprint by 1207 × 106 m3, and reduce the cropland area by 19 × 103 ha. This methodology allows decision makers to develop policies that achieve food security under limited water resources in arid and semi-arid regions.

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“…Indeed, more than 90% of the world's saffron is planted in Iran. [13][14][15][16] As far as we know, the historical course of the effect of saffron in the treatment of dementia in Iranian medicine books has not been studied in any article.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of saffron against dementia in Traditional Persian Medicine: A historical perspective

Marzabadi¹

2021

Erciyes Med J

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Virtual water trade and water footprint accounting of Saffron production in Iran

Cited by 51 publications

References 11 publications

Optimization of the Cropping Pattern of Main Cereals and Improving Water Productivity: Application of the Water Footprint Concept

Optimization of the Cropping Pattern of Main Cereals and Improving Water Productivity: Application of the Water Footprint Concept

Optimal virtual water flows for improved food security in water-scarce countries

Use of saffron against dementia in Traditional Persian Medicine: A historical perspective

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