DEMAND CURVES FOR WATER RESOURCES OF THE MAIN WATER USERS IN SUB‑MIDDLE SÃO FRANCISCO BASIN

Abstract

The lower basin region of São Francisco basin has a variety of uses, with some conflicts already established. Water demand curves are important to identify the economic value given to the water resource by different users and available amounts. The knowledge of them should assist in establishing policies that create appropriate incentives for efficient water resource use and prevent their over‑exploitation. This paper presents the water demand curves estimated by users of irrigated agriculture and human supply using the positive mathematical programming method and point expansion method. Results for irrigated agriculture of the two methods showed that the crop mix is the most important factor for the willingness to pay for water resources and that, for human supply, the economic values, considering the same level of water availability, are higher when compared with irrigation