On-farm adoption of irrigation technologies in two irrigated valleys in Central Chile : the effect of relative abundance of water resources

This paper examines the adoption of irrigation technologies and the underlying diversity in terms of intensity of adoption in 2 irrigated valleys in Central Chile. Results show a low and narrow range of adoption, with only 30 % of farmers adopting technologies. Through a Latent Class Analysis, 2 types of farmers were identified, a small group comprising moderate to intensive users, and a second one consisting of the majority of farmers mostly constrained in natural capital. Furthermore, the econometric analysis indicates that education, diversification, continuous access to water, and perception of water reliability increase the adoption. Conversely, higher waterland ratios, presence of community reservoirs, and earthen canals reduce the uptake. Overall, the dominance of fruit and horticulture production, access to agricultural credits, and full irrigation of the farm are the main drivers of adoption. The latter is a critical factor, indicating a relative abundance of water resources, which, alongside contextual characteristics, discourages farmers from implementing technologies. The low adoption rate, as well as the hindering factors, will challenge public and private organizations to design and implement policies aiming to improve water reliability and management. To generate incentives and increase awareness on the scarcity of the resource in the light of the predicted reductions in water availability because of climate change will be crucial as well

Water use efficiency and influence of management policies, analysis for the small-scale irrigation sector in South Africa

With the growing water scarcity, the need for more efficient water use has worldwide increased in importance. In addition, cost-recovery is now widely acknowledged as a cornerstone of sustainable water management. This research aims to contribute to improved water management in the small-scale irrigation sector in South Africa, which also faces these challenges. In a first analysis the economic production value of irrigation water was determined. Results show that without government subsidies on inputs, the profitability of many smallholders was low. Achieving full cost recovery therefore appears to be problematic for the current users. In the next part the concept of sub-vector efficiencies is introduced as a measure for water use efficiency. The analysis shows that smallholders fail to reach their overall technical efficiency levels when it concerns water use. Even using the current technologies the potential to reallocate irrigation water to other water demands is substantial. In a third part an innovative two-steps simulation model was developed to study the impact of water pricing. The model introduces a representation of the technology and smallholder efficiencies in a profit maximisation model. Farmers appear to be quite responsive to water charges and adjust their water use, even when the charge is relatively low. Pricing water can thus be used to provide incentives for efficiency improvement. However, the introduction of a water price is also shown to significantly decrease farm profit, particularly for smaller farms. The last part of the study investigates the impact of improving the water rights system in South Africa. Using a contingent ranking experiment the WTP of smallholders for specific interventions is estimated. The results show that farmers are prepared to pay considerably higher water prices if this is connected with advancements in the water rights system. This implies that such interventions would improve the efficiency of the small-scale irrigation sector. A higher WTP for water is also interesting in the light of the cost recovery, because it allows the government to increase water charges. In general, this research shows how economic analyses can be used to inform policy making to improve water management

Involving stakeholders to support sustainable development of the marine lobster aquaculture sector in Vietnam

This paper used a combination of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis and analytical hierarchy process to analyze the challenges and prospects for the sustainable development of marine lobster aquaculture in Vietnam. This analysis was based on the participation of four stakeholder groups including representatives at the provincial level, district level, and commune level and lobster farmers. The results show that stakeholders have a relatively positive perception about the sustainable development of marine lobster aquaculture in Vietnam because they believe the strengths and opportunities outweigh the weaknesses and threats. The suitable natural conditions in Vietnam were considered as the most important strength, while the many untapped markets and the support of the government for the sector are key opportunities for further developing marine lobster aquaculture. The increased lobster mortality and frequency of disease outbreaks were considered as the main weaknesses. In addition, the complex development of disease pressure and the reliance on the Chinese market were considered the most crucial threats. The findings of this study can be used by policy-makers in Vietnam to further develop the marine lobster aquaculture sector

Measuring the economic impact of climate change on crop production in the dry zone of Myanmar : a Ricardian approach

Myanmar is the country with the highest economic vulnerability (EV) to climate change in the Southeast Asian region. The dry zone of Myanmar occupies two-thirds of the agricultural lands and it has higher temperatures than elsewhere in the country. Climate change has severe impacts on agricultural production in this region. Moreover, changes in the precipitation patterns increase the likelihood of crop failures in the short-run and production declines in the long run. Therefore, an assessment of the economic impacts of climate change on crop production in the dry zone of Myanmar is very relevant. This paper examines the interactions between agriculture and climate and assesses the economic impact of climate change while using a Ricardian model. A cross-sectional survey covering three regions in the central dry zone: (Magwe, Mandalay, and Sagaing regions) was conducted, yielding a sample of 425 farmers. A non-linear relationship between climate indicators (temperature and precipitation) and revenue of land was found. The marginal effects were calculated by selecting economic and socio-demographic variables. The estimated marginal impacts suggest that the projected changes in temperature will affect the crop productivity of the region. The results also show that the temperature and rainfall components of global warming are both important. Predictions from three global circulation models all confirm that temperature is predicted to increase in all seasons. A significant marginal impact of increasing temperature on the net revenue of farm households was observed in the region. These findings call for policy makers and development planners to articulate the necessary climate change adaptation measures and mitigation options for reducing the negative impacts of climate change. Improved management and conservation of the available water resources could generate water for irrigation purposes and the dissemination of climate smart agricultural practices could lessen the negative impacts of climate change effects on agriculture in the dry zone of Myanmar

Productive water uses at household level in rural Kenya: case study of the Ukambani district

As a result of the growing world population and enhanced by the rising of living standards, competition for water is growing and this causes increased pressure on water resources worldwide. This tendency gave rise to the development of the integrated water resources management approach (IWRM), acknowledging the need to manage water resources in a holistic and integrated way. The IWRM objective to optimize economic, social and environmental outcomes of water management, can however only be reached if impact of water uses is correctly assessed. Nevertheless, often multiple uses of water within sectors are insufficiently recognized in planning and management. One of these neglected uses is the productive water use by households. Nonetheless, this use is extremely important to the livelihood of the poor, especially in the vast semi-arid rural areas of the developing world. An adequate evaluation of this use will not only help to improve outcome of water management, but will also add to the goal of poverty reduction. In this study, the role of productive water use for the rural community of the Ukambani district in Kenya was monitored, thereby focusing on income contributions and improvements in nutritional status

Intervention designs for perceived improved access to farm productivity- enhancing resources in the drylands : case study of Kenya

In Kenya's dryland districts, gaps in access to productivity-enhancing resources are disconcertingly wide despite the growing number of external interventions. This research paper evaluates five past interventions to identify resource access gaps and effective designs replicable in the region. The study used cross-sectional data collected from sampled participants in each of the interventions. A two-stage regression model was used to assess the perceived effectiveness of the interventions. Results of the analysis showed that access to productivity-enhancing resources particularly irrigation, quality seeds, fertilizers and markets was patchy and low. Furthermore, access was significantly high where complementary resources could be found in a single intervention. Conclusively, resource planning should be an integral part of every intervention. Towards this end, irrigation and markets for credit and produce are critical. Moreover, use of the participatory intervention design is recommended in order to foster identification of complementary resources, which are relevant for specific socio-economic and natural contexts

Technical efficiency of water use and its determinants, study at smallscale irrigation schemes in North-West Province, South Africa

This paper analyses the efficiency with which water is used in small-scale irrigation schemes in North-West Province in South Africa and studies its determinants. In the study area, small-scale irrigation schemes play an important role in rural development, but the increasing pressure on water resources and the approaching introduction of water charges raise the concern for more efficient water use. With the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) techniques used to compute farm-level technical efficiency measures and sub-vector efficiencies for water use, it was shown that under Constant Returns to Scale (CRS) and Variable Returns to Scale (VRS) specification, substantial technical inefficiencies, of 49% and 16% respectively, exist among farmers. The sub-vector efficiencies for water proved to be even lower, indicating that if farmers became more efficient using the technology currently available, it would be possible to reallocate a fraction of the irrigation water to other water demands without threatening the role of small-scale irrigation. In a second step, Tobit regression techniques were used to examine the relationship between sub-vector efficiency for water and various farm/farmers characteristics. Farm size, landownership, fragmentation, the type of irrigation scheme, crop choice and the irrigation methods applied showed a significant impact on the sub-vector efficiency for water. Such information is valuable for extension services and policy makers since it can help to guide policies towards increased efficiency

Differential impacts of an irrigation project : case study of the Swar Dam Project in Yedashe, Bago region of Myanmar

In Myanmar, the government has made a vast investment in the construction of dams to improve crop productivity and to ensure socioeconomic development. This study explores the differential impacts, in terms of socioeconomic conditions, of these investments for paddy farmers in Yedashe Township, in the Bago region in the south-central part of Myanmar. A farm survey among 95 respondents is used to compare the situation before and after the construction of a dam. It is observed that after the installation of the dam, the farmers could practice double rice cropping enabling them to gain higher income. The impact of the dam project on the employment rate, paddy yields and incomes were measured using normalized vector equations. A positive effect on all these factors was observed. The incomes of the farmers increased by benefiting from higher crop productivity, more crops per year, and more benefits over variable costs. However, the return above variable cash costs (RAVCC) and the benefit over cost (BC) ratio of head-end users was significantly higher than that of middle-reach and tail-end users. Therefore, the study additionally explored the problems of unequal water access and farmer-oriented solutions to these problems. The lack of monitoring and management of the irrigation institutions was found to be a major constraint for the development of the irrigation sector. Therefore, efficient utilisation of irrigation water by water-users, and policies as well as investments in the development of irrigation infrastructure need to be emphasised

Effect of changes in the institutional structure of irrigation water property rights on the willingness to pay of farmers for water: case of Tunisia

This paper assesses the economic value of changes in the attributes of farmers’ irrigation water property rights in Tunisia. Changes on attributes generated by the transfer process of the property rights from the collective to the individual level in addition to changes in “constitutional” attributes were integrated into three scenarios. The valuation was conducted using the Contingent Valuation Method through the elicitation of individuals’ willingness to pay. Results show positive willingness to pay values for all scenarios. However, farmers of the studied region are shown willing to pay more for changes in the constitutional attributes. Furthermore their willingness to pay appears to be most affected by their perceptions concerning the organization and the functioning of the water users’ association to which they belong and by their productivity.Property rights, irrigation water, Contingent Valuation, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,