Determination of an Optimal Cropping Pattern for a Conjunctive Use of Water

India is basically an agricultural country. Its economy completely depends on agriculture output. It is only possible b increasing the irrigation intensity to as much as possible and using both the resources, viz surface water and ground water. If the available surface water is not adequate, it becomes imperative look for ground water as an alternative to meet irrigation demand. Water is a scarce and precious national resource. Planning, development and systematic utilization of this resource for various sectors such as agriculture, domestic, and industry is important. Hence to obtain the optimal cropping pattern and optimum release policy, a linear programming model for conjunctive development of surface and ground water resources for nadiad branch canal of M.R.B.C project is developed. The objective of the present study is to develop a mathematical model for optimal use of ground water and surface water conjunctively to provide an efficient use of available resources in an area for irrigation. The surface water and unconfined aquifer both are used for irrigation purposes.