Determining the critical points of the basin from the point of view of water productivity and water consumption using the WaPOR database

Limited water resources are a major obstacle to ensuring food security. Considering that the agricultural sector accounts for most of the water consumption in Iran and worldwide, water management in the agricultural sector is of great importance. Water productivity is one of the sustainable development goals and the key indicator for studying and improving agricultural water management. The aim of this study is to determine the critical points of the Maroon- Jarahi basin from the view point of water productivity and water consumption using modern remote sensing methods, and find solutions to improve water productivity in these areas. Recently, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) established the WaPOR open-access portal on water productivity to map countries facing with water crises in Africa and the Middle East, and estimation of actual evapotranspiration (ETa) is one of its main products. This portal makes it possible to determine water consumption and water productivity on a large scale with little time and cost, so it can be used to manage the agricultural sector. In this study, the actual evapotranspiration (AET), net primary production (NPP), and water productivity (WP) for the basin were estimated using the WaPOR portal and Google Earth Engine over a 10-day period with a spatial resolution of 250 meters (decadal data). Based on the obtained results, the areas with low water productivity were identified. By studying the existing cropping patterns, the type of irrigation system used and the water and soil conditions in these areas, it is possible to investigate the reason for the low water productivity and propose solutions to improve it.