Evaluating the Demand Patterns for Irrigation Water: The Case of Western Macedonia

This article is concerned with the management of water resources in the region of Western Macedonia. Taking into account the great importance of agriculture as the principal consumer of water in the region, as well as the drastic increase in regional water consumption over the last decade, a related study evaluating the demand patterns for irrigated water can prove to be extremely valuable. This paper examines the demand patterns and probable trends for irrigated water using the Discrete Sequential Stohastic Programming (DSSP) Model for four agricultural products (apples, peaches, potatoes and tomatoes) and five specific subareas (the prefecture of Florina, the prefecture of Kastoria, the prefecture of Grevena, the city of Kozani and the city of Ptolemaida). Results clearly demonstrate that apples and potatoes are the only crops in the region that use water deficit irrigation strategies in short water years (representing a water deficit of 25%). In addition, results reveal that the most cost-effective solution would be to acquire water from the prefecture of Kastoria because the marginal value of run-off water in this area is lower compared to the other areas in question.