ZIA UR RAHMAN RASIKH*, RAMTIN JOOLAIE, ALI KERAMATZADEH, SHAHRZAD MIRKARIMI AND SHAHIDULLAH NIAZI
Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Laghman University, Laghman 2701, Afghanistan
*(e-mail: ziarasikh2014@yahoo.com; Mobile: +9 37805 00078)
(Received: July 1, 2023; Accepted: August 7, 2023)
ABSTRACT
Choosing the right cropping pattern is one of the main factors of increasing production productivity in agriculture. Optimum allocation of available production resources to the activities that bring the most profitability for farmers and determining the appropriate crops for each region to prevent excessive consumption of inputs are important and basic issues in agricultural management, neglecting which causes the inefficiency of the agricultural production system. In the present study, the optimal cropping pattern of Nangarhar province was determined by using the linear programming method. Modelling was done based on 45 functional constraints and 13 decision variables, and the information required for this research was obtained by completing 928 questionnaires on the cost of crop production in 16 districts of this province. Modelling and solving of this model was done using Lingo software version 19. The results of this study showed that by implementing the optimal linear cultivation model, the consumption of chemical fertilizers, agricultural pesticides, irrigation water and the total area under cultivation decreased by 4.33, 3.04, 2.09 and 2.32%, respectively. The amount of gross margin increased by 4.78% in the current model. Therefore, by optimizing the cropping pattern while increasing profitability for the farmers of the province, it is possible to help preserve and improve the environment by reducing the consumption of inputs. It is suggested that in future studies, other methods such as goal programming, gray programming, multi-objective fractional programming, multi-stage random programming, etc., should be used to determine the optimal cropping pattern of Nangarhar province and their results should be investigated.
Key words : Optimal cropping pattern, linear programming, optimization of input consumption, maximizing gross margin, Nangarhar province