Optimizing Agricultural Profitability and EnvironmentalSustainability using Whale Optimization Algorithm in theMiyandoab Plain: An Integrated Hydrologic-Agronomic-Economic Model

Water scarcity and droughts in arid regions pose significant challenges to agricultural production andenvironmental sustainability. This study presents an integrated hydrologic-agronomic-economic modeldesigned to optimize water allocation strategies in the Miyandoab Plain, located in the Urmia Lake basin innorthwest Iran. The model aims to maximize agricultural profitability while sustaining adequateenvironmental flows to Urmia Lake during droughts. Through multi-objective optimization, the modelidentifies Pareto optimal solutions that balance economic and environmental objectives. The integratedmodel incorporates physically-based hydrologic modeling, agronomic crop production functions, andeconomic analysis of agricultural profits. Results demonstrate the trade-offs between agriculturalprofitability and environmental sustainability, highlighting the potential benefits of proposed watermanagement strategies. The model provides valuable insights for sustainable water resources planning insemi-arid agricultural regions facing water scarcity and climate variability.

Keywords:

Water scarcity , Whale optimization algorithm , sustainable water allocation , agriculturalprofitability , environmental flows.