Year 2018, Volume 3, Issue 2
| Year : | 2018 |
| Volume : | 3 |
| Issue : | 2 |
| Authors : | Masoumeh FOROUZANI, Zeinab NOROUZI |
| Title : | BARRIERS TO FARMERS’ PARTICIPATION IN ESTABLISHING WATER USER ASSOCIATIONS: THE CASE OF IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE NETWORK OF NORTHEAST AHWAZ, IRAN |
| Abstract : | Concern about water resources in semi-arid areas of the world has led to the introduction of a participatory management system of water, which potentially challenges farmers’ willingness to involvement. Establishing water user associations has altered the water management system in irrigation and drainage networks. Undoubtedly, promoting these changes in rural areas, where the new social changes are slowly accepted, is encountered with various obstacles. As such, this study was conducted to recognize the impediments of establishing water user associations through the eyes of those working in an irrigation and drainage network. Data were collected through a questionnaire which consisted of questions regarding social, financial, cultural, organizational, management and attitude barriers. Analysis of data revealed that management barriers were ranked at the first place followed by the cultural, attitude and social ones. However, lack of motives to stimulate users into participatory system of water management, farmers’ inabilities to combat with those who illegally extract water, inability to equal and justice-based allocation of water to different users, farmers’ preferences to instant individual advantages instead of future common advantages, negative attitude of farmers toward efficacy of local associations, lack of informative opportunities for making farmers aware of the WUAs’ benefits were recognized as the strongest barriers, respectively. The results also showed that there was significantly positive correlation among four categories of barriers including social, cultural, management and attitude. This means that they were interrelated and any intervention to change one could affect the others. Hence, to initiate involvement of the local people into decentralized systems of water resources management, salient attempts are needed to empower farmers for removing the barriers, mainly management and social. |
| For citation : | Forouzani, M., Norouzi, Z. (2018). Barriers to farmers’ participation in establishing water user associations: the case of irrigation and drainage network of Northeast Ahwaz, Iran. AGROFOR International Journal, Volume 3. Issue No. 2. pp. 106-113. DOI: 10.7251/AGRENG1802106F |
| Keywords : | Water user association, participation, barriers, Iran |
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ISSN 2490-3434 (Printed)
ISSN 2490-3442 (Online)
ISSN 2490-3442 (Online)
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