Economic Analysis of the Use of Reclaimed Water in Agriculture in Southeastern Spain, A Mediterranean Region
In a global context where agriculture is the major consumer of water, there is a pressing need to look for alternative water resources. In light of there being a lack of studies that compare the use of diverse water alternatives in different crops, the overall objective of this research is to evalua...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/11/2218 |
| _version_ | 1797511586355609600 |
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| author | María. J. López-Serrano Juan F. Velasco-Muñoz José A. Aznar-Sánchez Isabel M. Román-Sánchez |
| author_facet | María. J. López-Serrano Juan F. Velasco-Muñoz José A. Aznar-Sánchez Isabel M. Román-Sánchez |
| author_sort | María. J. López-Serrano |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In a global context where agriculture is the major consumer of water, there is a pressing need to look for alternative water resources. In light of there being a lack of studies that compare the use of diverse water alternatives in different crops, the overall objective of this research is to evaluate the impact generated by the use of tertiary water from an economic and financial perspective and compare it with groundwater and desalinated water. To reach this objective, a detailed study of the cost structure of greenhouse investment has been developed. Furthermore, the most traditional indicators for investment profitability have been calculated for the three different water alternatives: tertiary water, groundwater and desalinated water. The cost analyses demonstrate the relative short reach that the price of water has in an area of greenhouse agriculture exploitation, which provides a margin of increasing water costs while still allowing for economic profit. Taking into account the three water resources considered, evidence shows that the use of tertiary water is not only financially and economically viable but is also the best alternative water resource above desalinated water in terms of profitability and sustainability. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:47:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-adc3f8fe03504caca4ce823478dcfb41 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:47:22Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-adc3f8fe03504caca4ce823478dcfb412023-11-22T22:02:17ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952021-11-011111221810.3390/agronomy11112218Economic Analysis of the Use of Reclaimed Water in Agriculture in Southeastern Spain, A Mediterranean RegionMaría. J. López-Serrano0Juan F. Velasco-Muñoz1José A. Aznar-Sánchez2Isabel M. Román-Sánchez3Department of Economics and Business, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, SpainDepartment of Economics and Business, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, SpainDepartment of Economics and Business, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, SpainDepartment of Economics and Business, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, SpainIn a global context where agriculture is the major consumer of water, there is a pressing need to look for alternative water resources. In light of there being a lack of studies that compare the use of diverse water alternatives in different crops, the overall objective of this research is to evaluate the impact generated by the use of tertiary water from an economic and financial perspective and compare it with groundwater and desalinated water. To reach this objective, a detailed study of the cost structure of greenhouse investment has been developed. Furthermore, the most traditional indicators for investment profitability have been calculated for the three different water alternatives: tertiary water, groundwater and desalinated water. The cost analyses demonstrate the relative short reach that the price of water has in an area of greenhouse agriculture exploitation, which provides a margin of increasing water costs while still allowing for economic profit. Taking into account the three water resources considered, evidence shows that the use of tertiary water is not only financially and economically viable but is also the best alternative water resource above desalinated water in terms of profitability and sustainability.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/11/2218tertiary waterreclaimed watertreated wastewateragricultureirrigationgreenhouse |
| spellingShingle | María. J. López-Serrano Juan F. Velasco-Muñoz José A. Aznar-Sánchez Isabel M. Román-Sánchez Economic Analysis of the Use of Reclaimed Water in Agriculture in Southeastern Spain, A Mediterranean Region Agronomy tertiary water reclaimed water treated wastewater agriculture irrigation greenhouse |
| title | Economic Analysis of the Use of Reclaimed Water in Agriculture in Southeastern Spain, A Mediterranean Region |
| title_full | Economic Analysis of the Use of Reclaimed Water in Agriculture in Southeastern Spain, A Mediterranean Region |
| title_fullStr | Economic Analysis of the Use of Reclaimed Water in Agriculture in Southeastern Spain, A Mediterranean Region |
| title_full_unstemmed | Economic Analysis of the Use of Reclaimed Water in Agriculture in Southeastern Spain, A Mediterranean Region |
| title_short | Economic Analysis of the Use of Reclaimed Water in Agriculture in Southeastern Spain, A Mediterranean Region |
| title_sort | economic analysis of the use of reclaimed water in agriculture in southeastern spain a mediterranean region |
| topic | tertiary water reclaimed water treated wastewater agriculture irrigation greenhouse |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/11/2218 |
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