Water Productivity in Soybean Cultivation and Its Determinants in Golestan Province

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Noormohammad Abyar 1
Mostafa Alinaghizadeh 2
Pouria Ataei 1
1 Department of Socio-Economic and Agricultural Extension Research, Fars Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education & Extension .Organization (AREEO), Shiraz, Iran
2 Assistant Prof., Dept. of Agricultural, Payame Noor University (PNU), P.O. Tehran, Iran
10.22034/he.2025.563906.1174
Abstract
This study was conducted with the aim of examining and analyzing water input productivity in soybean cultivation in Golestan Province, one of the main hubs of soybean production in Iran. Using data collected from 48 soybean farmers and applying various indices of partial and value-based water productivity, the research assessed the current status and its determinants. The findings revealed that the average partial physical water productivity in soybean fields was 0.74 kg of soybean per cubic meter of water, with a range between 0.26 and 2.69 kg. This variation reflects the potential for increasing productivity through improved farm management and optimal resource utilization. From an economic perspective, each cubic meter of water generated an average gross income of 115,847 IRR and a gross profit of approximately 78,719 IRR. These figures highlight the significant role of efficient water allocation in enhancing farmers’ profitability. Estimation of the water–yield function using the Cobb–Douglas form indicated that a one-percent increase in water use led to only a 0.035 percent increase in soybean yield, while the marginal productivity of each cubic meter of water was about 0.023 kg of soybean. This demonstrates that under current conditions, increasing water consumption has little effect on yield growth, and improving productivity requires technological innovation and enhanced management skills. An analysis of farmers’ individual and managerial characteristics showed that factors such as farm altitude, type of irrigation network, and irrigation method had a significant effect on water productivity. Notably, farms equipped with modern pressurized irrigation systems exhibited much higher water productivity compared to traditional farms. In contrast, variables such as farm size and seed type did not produce significant differences in productivity. The results suggest that improving water productivity in soybean cultivation, in addition to upgrading irrigation technologies and farm management, necessitates supportive policies in education, extension services, and infrastructure provision. Ultimately, the findings can serve as a basis for policymakers and planners in the agricultural sector to increase domestic oilseed production and reduce dependency on imports.

Keywords

Subjects

1.      Bahramloo, R., & Seyedan, S. M. (2017). Comparison of Productivity of Production Factors in Fixed Classic Sprinkler and Furrow Irrigation Systems in Potato Fields of Kaboodrahang Plane in Hamedan Province. Journal of Water Research in Agriculture, 31(4), 559-569. doi:10.22092/jwra.2018.115717 (in Persian).
2.      Bernard, B. M., Song, Y., & Wang, X. (2025). Assessing the impact of climate variability on total factor productivity in African agriculture: Insights from non-parametric and parametric analyses. Journal of Cleaner Production, 513. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.145549
3.      Borrero, H. (2025). Land Inequality, Farm Size, and Productivity: Insights From Peruvian Agriculture. Agricultural Economics (United Kingdom), 56(5), 839-849. doi:10.1111/agec.70036
4.      Boussemart, J.P and Parvulescu, R. 2019. Agriculture productivity gains and their distribution for the main EU members. IESEG Working paper series 2019-EQM-07.
5.      Grassini, P.T,  2015. Soybean yield gaps and water productivity in the westernU.S. Corn Belt. 2015. Field crops research. v.179. pp. 150-163.
6.      Khaksar Astaneh, S., Johari, P., Mosayebi, N., Sadeghi, H., Jahangiri, M., & Mahdian, p. (2019). Report on productivity indices during 2005–2018. National Iranian Productivity Organization, Document Code: PER-9808-01-00, 16 pages. (in Persian).
7.      Kobayashi, S. and  Yoji Kunimitsu, Y. 2024. Assessment of soybean productivity and its changing factors in Japan based on the production cost statistics. Heliyon. Volume 10, Issue 20. e38396.
8.      Kolapo, A., & Sieber, S. (2025). From vulnerability to viability: Climate-Smart agriculture as drivers of productivity and food security in Nigerian maize-based farming households. Environmental Challenges, 20. doi:10.1016/j.envc.2025.101268
9.      Lerma,z and Sedik.D. 2009. Sources of Agricultural Productivity Growth in Central Asia: The Case of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia Policy Studies on Rural Transition No. 2009-5.
10.   Li, L., & Zhu, X. (2025). The Impact of Digital Agriculture on Green Productivity in Agriculture: Evidence from China. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 16(3), 13429-13453. doi:10.1007/s13132-024-02502-x
11.   Liu, M and Li, D. 2010. An Analysis on Total Factor Productivity and Influencing Factors of Soybean in China, Journal of Agricultural Science, Vol. 2, No. 2,
12.   Nazari, B., & Liaqaat, A. (2016). Principles and indicators of water productivity in agriculture. Report No. 19574. Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture. (in Persian).
13.   Nirosha, U., & Vennila, G. (2025). Enhancing crop yield prediction for agriculture productivity using federated learning integrating with graph and recurrent neural networks model. Expert Systems with Applications, 289. doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2025.128312
14.   Ohlan.R.2013. Efficiency and total factor productivity growth in Indian dairy sector. Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture. 52. No. 1: 51-77.
15.   Rahimi, A., & Nobar, Z. (2023). The impact of planting scenarios on agricultural productivity and thermal comfort in urban agriculture land (case study: Tabriz, Iran). Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11. doi:10.3389/fevo.2023.1048092
16.   Shayanfar, H. (2003). An investigation of agricultural water productivity in the economic production of crops. The 11th Conference of the Iranian National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage, Tehran. (in Persian).
17.   Silva, G. (2018). Feeding the World in 2050 and Beyond–Part 1: Productivity Challenges. Michigan State UniversityExtension. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/feeding-the-world-in-2050-and-beyond-part-1
18.   Tanveer, Z., & Kalim, R. (2025). An empirical analysis of climate transition: a global outlook of agriculture productivity. Journal of Economic Studies, 52(6), 1025-1042. doi:10.1108/JES-07-2024-0466
19.   Yadav, I. S., & Goyari, P. (2025). The effects of financial development on crop productivity: ARDL evidence from Indian agriculture. Journal of Financial Economic Policy, 17(4), 530-558. doi:10.1108/JFEP-05-2023-0126
20.   Zamani, O., Azadi, H., Mortazavi, S. A., Balali, H., Movahhed Moghaddam, S. M., & Jurík, L. (2021). The impact of water-pricing policies on water productivity: Evidence of agriculture sector in Iran. Agricultural Water Management, 245. doi:10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106548
Human Ecology
Volume 4, Issue 12
Autumn 2025
Pages 1526-1536