Browsing by Autor "Erik Mathijs"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2

Economic assessment at farm level of the implementation of deficit irrigation for quinoa production in the Southern Bolivian Altiplano
(Spanish National Research Council, 2013) Jorge Cusicanqui; Koen Dillen; María Cruz García-González; Sam Geerts; Dirk Raes; Erik Mathijs
In the Southern Bolivian Altiplano recent research has suggested to introduce deficit irrigation as a strategy to boost quinoa yields and to stabilize it at 2.0 ton ha-1. In this study we carried out an economic assessment of the implementation of deficit irrigation at farm level using a hydro-economic model for simulating profit for quinoa production. As input of the model we worked with previously developed farms typology (livestock, quinoa and subsistence farms), simulated quinoa production with and without irrigation using AquaCrop model, and calculated yield response functions for four different climate scenarios (wet, normal, dry and very dry years). Results from the hydro-economic model demonstrate that maximum profit is achieved with less applied irrigated water than for maximum yield, and irrigated quinoa earned more profit than rainfed production for all farms types and climate scenarios. As expected, the benefits of irrigation under dry and very dry climate conditions were higher than those under normal and wet years, and benefits among farms types were higher for quinoa farms. In fact, profit of irrigated quinoa might be stabilized at around BOB 6500 ha-1 (about USD 920) compared with the huge differences found for rainfed conditions for all climate scenarios. Interestingly, the economic water productivity, expressed in terms of economic return for amount of applied irrigated water (BOB mm-1), reached the highest values with intermediate and low level of water availability schemes of deficit irrigation for all climate scenarios.
Farmers' willingness to adopt irrigation for quinoa in communities of the Central Altiplano of Bolivia
(Universidad Católica Boliviana San Pablo, 2011) Cristal Taboada; Armando Mamani; Dirk Raes; Erik Mathijs; Ligia García; Sam Geerts; Jere L. Gilles
Quinoa is considered a strategic crop because it is well adapted to the adverse abiotic conditions of the Bolivian Altiplano; however, the average yield is low. Previous studies have demonstrated that quinoa yield would increase with deficit irrigation technology. Nevertheless, to irrigate quinoa is not a normal practice in the farming systems of the Altiplano. This paper examines the main factors that determine the attitude of farmers towards adopting deficit irrigation using a sample of 137 surveys in seven communities of the Central Altiplano. Statistic analysis demonstrates that the most important factors influencing farmers' willingness for irrigation adoption are the acreage planted with quinoa, quantity of surplus production for trading, and having irrigation experience. Also, the age and education level were important to know willingness to adopt a new technology. Therefore, deficit irrigation is more likely to be performed in area where farmers own larger fields and where there is already certain type of irrigation.