ABSTRACT
ENVIRONMENTAL CRITERIA IN A DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR SURFACE IRRIGATION DESIGN
J. M. GONCALVES Escola Superior Agraria, Bencanta, Coimbra, Portugal L. S. PEREIRA and P. L. SOUS A Department of Agricultural Engineering, Institute of Agronomy, Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal
Abstract To assist planners and managers in the process of design and selection of on-farm surface irrigation systems, an interactive DSS software has been developed. Simulation models are utilised to determine the alternative attributes characterizing main impacts of surface irrigation systems, covering financial, economic, yield, and soil and water quality aspects. A multiple criteria decision-making methodology is applied. The DSS was tested with data collected from field experiments, and its usefulness was evaluated through the application to a sector of the Mondego Valley Project, Coimbra, Portugal. Selected results concerning the environmental sensitivity of the model relative to decision-maker priorities are presented. Keywords: Economic impacts, environmental impacts, multicriteria analysis, surface irrigation.
