Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

Multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) methodology for the prioritization of technical irrigation projects

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Public investment in irrigation infrastructure is essential but costly, especially in developing countries. This study analyzes methodologies for prioritizing irrigation projects in Ecuador, selecting the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) from various multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods. Four criteria and 15 subcriteria were defined based on the judgment of 12 experts. From a shortlist of 10 irrigation projects, selected from the Ministry of Agriculture's database, we applied the AHP via the free software Super Decisions. Among the environmental, territorial development, economic, and technical criteria, territorial development holds the highest weight, reflecting significant differences in potential social impact across projects. Our results demonstrate how AHP can guide transparent, equity-focused investment decisions and support sustainable development goals (SDG 2: Zero Hunger; SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production) in Ecuador.

Translated title of the contributionMetodología de Toma de Decisiones Multicriterio (MCDM) para la Priorización de Proyectos Técnicos de Riego
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)804-822
Number of pages19
JournalWater Policy
Volume27
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - 4 Aug 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Authors.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals
    SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals

Keywords

  • Analytic hierarchy process (AHP)
  • Irrigation projects
  • Multi-criteria decision making (MCDM)
  • SDG 12
  • SDG 2

CACES Knowledge Areas

  • 125A Environment

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) methodology for the prioritization of technical irrigation projects'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this