A Linear Programming Model of Agricultural Activity and Resource Use Under Changing Resource Conditions

摘要

The response of agricultural production to changes in the cost and availability of irrigation water and pumping energy is analyzed. A linear program is developed to model these responses for the Western Riverside County area of Southern California. A new method for limiting cropping pattern shifts is postulated and analyzed. Some conclusions drawn from analysis include: an increasing rate of decline in irrigated acreage, particularly of field crops, due to increasing resource prices; a much higher elasticity of demand for imported water than for ground water; increasing use of sprinkler and particularly drip irrigation as water price rises; a large potential for water stressing of crops if better information becomes available on water production functions.