DSSIPM is a decision support system that was developed to improve planning
and management in large irrigation schemes. Paper 1 provided a description
of the system, including its structure, databases and procedures. Here, the
application of DSSIPM to the Odivelas irrigation scheme is described, a ca
se study in the Alentejo region of Portugal. The results obtained suggest t
hat the introduction of irrigation is likely to increase crop diversity and
the income of farmers. Analysis indicates that the performance of irrigate
d areas will be affected by such diverse factors as crop prices, subsidies,
the availability of water, land taxes and the price of water, the existenc
e of markets for non-traditional crops, the size of fields and the technolo
gical skills of farmers. The development priorities for improving the econo
mic performance of agriculture in the Odivelas region were identified. They
include developing marketing and processing facilities, reformulating wate
r prices and land taxes, improving water distribution, developing extension
services, providing irrigation equipment and farm machinery to rent, and m
odifying land tenancy legislation. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All right
s reserved.