A Systems Approach to Design of Agricultural Drainage Systems in Egypt

Strzepek, K.M. (1980). A Systems Approach to Design of Agricultural Drainage Systems in Egypt. IIASA Working Paper. IIASA, Laxenburg, Austria: WP-80-157

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Abstract

Agricultural drainage systems provide the principal means of coping with waterlogging and salinization of soils, two of the major environmental problems of agriculture. To illustrate the enormity of the problems caused by salinization, one need only note that the total soil loss in the world due to secondary salinization is larger than the amount of soil presently irrigated worldwide.

Dr. Strzepek's paper is written from a perspective unusual at IIASA. Generally, the type of decision which concerns IIASA scientists is one of feasibility -- whether a specific project should be developed and what the principle features of such a project would be. In contrast, Dr. Strzepek's approach is to discuss the ways in which the techniques of systems analysis can be used to solve universal problems of engineering design. This methodological point of view is thus of interest not only to the task "Environmental Problems of Agriculture, "but also to the entire institute and decisionmakers in general.

The background work for this paper was initiated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but the paper was written at IIASA.

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