Planejamento ótimo da agricultura irrigada: um estudo de caso no perímetro de São Gonçalo no Sertão da Paraíba.

Abstract

In this paper we present a study on the Irrigated Perimeter of São Gonçalo, located in the District of São Gonçalo in Sousa city, located in the State of Paraíba. Irrigated agriculture is a major economic activities in the backcountry of Paraíba, providing food production and the creation of employment and income for the families of this region. Thus, the main objective of this research is to propose an optimal planning for the perimeter study to consider an efficient irrigation system, crop suitable region, cost- effective and that consume less water as possible. With the in loco visit, it was observed that the perimeter has no sustainable actions and planning in order to strengthen the practice of these activities. We used a mathematical model to realize this planning which uses linear programming techniques, which aims to obtain an optimal solution to the problem, taking into account constraints such as limiting the total area, the amount of water available, and rotation of crops. Then, we defined three distinct scenarios for better analysis of the information, subdivided by getting irrigation systems (flood, micro sprinkler and drip irrigation) and hydro systems (dry, medium and rainy). The results showed that the drip irrigation system is more efficient, thus obtains a larger area irrigated. However the proposed solutions are purposeful, and that, if were implemented, will provide a higher return to the farmers of the region, allied to sustainable practices.