CONCEPTUAL AND ANALYTICAL MODELS FOR THE ASSESSING OF WATER STORAGE SYSTEMS IN SMALL-SCALE IRRIGATION
PART 1: CONCEPTUALIZATION AND STRUCTURING
Keywords:
Water security, Smallholder farming, Irrigation planning, Decentralized water storage, Conceptual–analytical modeling, Water balance indicatorsAbstract
Water storage for family farming is a key strategy to mitigate water deficits and enhance water and food security. Regional planning water storage systems for small-scale irrigation poses significant challenges, particularly when defining and evaluating configurations such as the number, type, volume, and spatial location of storage structures. This study developed both a conceptual and an analytical model to characterize and assess water storage systems for small-scale irrigation. The conceptual model organizes the system into three components (water harvesting, storage, and irrigation) and explicitly defines the relationships among them. Based on these relationships, twelve indicators were systematized to form the analytical model. Its flexible structure enables the aggregation of variables within each component, facilitating the analysis of diverse technologies and planning approaches across different spatial scales. This supports configuration definition, system comparison, and regional planning. Applying this framework across various regions and technologies can guide the scaling and transfer of effective water storage solutions for irrigation at the regional level.
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