1. General Model Information

Name: PARCHED-THIRST

Acronym: PARCHED-THIRST

Contact:

Author(s):

Abstract:

• It can add value to experimental work by allowing us to extrapolate experimental results from one site to another and from one season to the next. The traditional approach to the transfer of a successful technology to other areas has been either to introduce the technique 'as is' and see if it works. If it fails (as is often the case) it not only creates suspicion of new technologies in the minds of the recipients, but in the worst cases it can lead to serious problems for the very group it was supposed to be helping. The alternative is to repeatedly test variations of the technology at each target site. While this is less likely to lead to failure, it, like the traditional approach, is wasteful of resources. PARCHED-THIRST can reduce this waste of resources and resistance to uptake by identifying best-bet options before any money, man-power or trust is committed.
  
• In combination with tools such as Geographical Information Systems (see Damion Young´s homepage:current work), it can be used to identify target areas with high success and uptake potential, reducing the resources wasted in areas with little promise for the new technology.
  
• By creating a framework for the study of the system it forces us to identify the most important processes within a system, adding to our understanding of both the processes themselves and the interactions with the other processes which make up the system.
  

• Main Window from where the user controls all aspects of the PARCHED-THIRST Model;
  
• Run-Time Window which dynamically displays progress with the simulation of a number of important crop, soil and water variables.
  
• Climate Generator Main Window which controls and runs all aspects of the PARCHED-THIRST Climate Generator;
  
• Climate Generator Summary Window where the user can compare the statistical properties of observed and generated climate data.
  

The main sub-models of the PARCHED-THIRST model can be listed as following:

• Climate Generator
  
• Infiltration/Runoff Model
  
• Soil-Water Model
  
• Crop Growth Model (PARCH)
  

The PARCHED-THIRST Model has been developed under funding from the UK Department for International Development (DfID) through research programmes managed by the Natural Resources International. It is not intended for commercial exploitation and is freely available in compiled form together with this documentation although we may have to charge for photocopying and postage costs.

Source of abstract: PARCHED-THIRST Model homepage

II. Technical Information

II.1 Executables:

II.2 Source-code:

II.3 Manuals:

II.4 Data:

III. Mathematical Information

III.1 Mathematics

III.2 Quantities

III.2.1 Input

III.2.2 Output

IV. References