Su-gıda bağının yukarı Sakarya havzasında tarımsal su yönetimi odaklı değerlendirilmesi

This study investigates the tradeoffs between water and food (agriculture) nexus and evaluates alternative scenarios focusing on sustainable water governance for agricultural production in Upper Sakarya Basin. For this purpose, pressures on surface water and groundwater resources are determined for the study period (2004-2016) by considering inputs and outputs such as demand, supply, and discharge by all sectors. With concentrating on the impacts on demand and supply dynamics, the effectiveness of management scenarios in the agricultural sector is evaluated using the WEAP model. Demand-oriented management scenarios propose various technical measures that include improvements in irrigation technology, shifts in the cropping pattern, and conservative irrigation strategies. Scenario analysis has shown that demand and supply decline in proportion to each other, resulting surface water reliability to rise at a relatively lower rate. It is suggested that water and food (agriculture) sustainability is facilitated when less water-intensive crops are favored and efficient irrigation techniques and deficit irrigation programs are adopted.