Efficiency Analysis of Agricultural Irrigation Systems Using the Interval Type-2 Fuzzy TOPSIS Approach

Purpose: Efficient and sustainable irrigation system selection is vital in semi-arid agricultural regions such as Şanlıurfa, Türkiye, where water resources are limited and agricultural productivity is highly dependent on appropriate irrigation methods. This study aims to evaluate and rank alternative irrigation systems using a multi-criteria decision-making approach under uncertainty. Methodology: An integrated decision model based on the Interval Type-2 Fuzzy TOPSIS method was employed to assess five irrigation alternatives: surface irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, drip irrigation, micro-sprinkler irrigation, and solar-powered automatic irrigation systems. Six evaluation criteria were considered: water use efficiency, energy consumption, initial investment cost, environmental impact, impact on crop yield, and ease of maintenance. Linguistic evaluations from experts were converted into interval type-2 fuzzy triangular numbers to capture uncertainty in human judgment. Findings: According to the obtained results, the solar-powered automatic irrigation system demonstrated the highest performance in terms of relative closeness to the ideal solution, followed by the drip irrigation systems. The surface irrigation method exhibited the lowest performance. These findings underscore the importance of adopting efficient irrigation strategies to enhance sustainability in water-stressed regions such as Şanlıurfa. Originality: This study presents a novel application of Interval Type-2 Fuzzy TOPSIS in evaluating irrigation systems in a real-world semi-arid context. The methodological contribution lies in integrating uncertainty modeling with practical agricultural decision-making, providing a reliable framework for policymakers and farmers to support sustainable water management.