Determination of Economic Value of Agricultural Water in Greenhouse Cultivation of Qazvin Plain

Water valuation is one of the most important economic instruments for managing the increasing demand for water in agriculture. Hence, the main objective of this study is to estimate the economic value of water in greenhouse cultivation in Qazvin plain. To achieve the desired goals, the Positive Mathematical Programming (PMP) was used. In this research, the economic value of agricultural water was determined in the study area. Then, sensitivities such as changes in water resources inventories, increasing product prices, and lowering the production costs were analyzed and evaluated for the economic value of water. Data were collected for 2016-2017 agronomic year from greenhouse owners in a field survey questionnaire. After runing the model, the economic value of each cubic meter of agricultural water at the greenhouse level of Qazvin Plain was estimated to be 24730 Rials. Results showed that as the water supply decreases, the economic value of water will increase significantly. In addition, by applying the sensitivity of lowering the production costs and increasing the price of products, the economic value of water will increase. Therefore, considering the results of this research, more attention should be given to greenhouse crop production, in order to save water consumption and increase the irrigation efficiency.