*2.3. Analytical Methodology*

Assessing water profitability in this study was achieved using the economic water productivity analytical method [12,23]. This analytical method was chosen due to several reasons. Firstly, the data collected and questionnaires were designed to follow the same structure of production input classification as the agricultural statistics bulletin. Moreover, the data collected allowed for collecting actual water applied by farmers. Finally, the chosen analytical method can accommodate the nuances and differences between farmers regarding access to agricultural inputs and water application compared to statistical averages and experts' estimations. The following steps describe the calculation method:

• **Total Costs (TC):** This is the summation of all the production costs.

Total Costs = ∑(Land Preparation + Seeding and Planting + . . . + Other Expenses.) (1)

• **Total Revenue (TR):** the yield per unit area multiplied by the selling price of all crops on land including primary and secondary crops.

$$\text{Total Revenue} = \text{Yield} \times \text{Crop Price} \tag{2}$$

• **Net Return (NR):** This is the difference between the total revenue and total costs.

Net Return = TR − TC (3)


Water Profitability = NR/WA

Units for results:

