Forty years of irrigation development and reform in China

This study reviews 40 years of irrigation development in China including the transformation of the institutional and incentive structures in irrigation management. After rural reforms in the 1970s, irrigation investments slowed until the late 1990s. In North China, farmers became major investors in groundwater irrigation, leading to property rights’ transfer of tube wells from collective to private ownership. Despite positive effects in cropping patterns, farmer income and development of groundwater markets, privatisation has accelerated groundwater table deterioration. Since the middle of 1990s, Water User Associations have replaced village collective management of surface irrigation. This approach was adopted by most provinces by early 2001 with mixed results; only institutions with water‐saving incentives realised efficient irrigation. The Government is reforming water price policies to provide water‐saving incentives to farmers while not hurting their income. While China has focused on water rights and markets, and despite regulations and pilot projects, full implementation of water rights has been slow. Research reveals greater policy scope for expanding irrigation technologies that generate real water saving to rural areas. Given pressure associated with water scarcity and concern for food security, further effective reforms in irrigation and policy incentives are expected. The Government has also initiated some pilot projects to resolve increasing water scarcity problems through adjusting agricultural production activities.     

粮食主产区妇女的农田水利管理模式偏好及参与灌溉管理意愿研究

粮食主产区担负着保障国家粮食安全的重任,农田水利是农业生产的基础。在新型城镇化背景下,妇女是农业生产的主要劳动力。粮食主产区妇女的农田水利管理模式偏好及参与灌溉管理意愿对确保粮食安全至关重要。结果表明,集体化、家庭化解决了分散、细碎农地的灌溉问题,乡村精英能降低农田水利市场化程度,男性青壮年劳动力可缓解农田水利的灌溉压力。"单打独斗"的灌溉管理模式不足以保障水田作物的季节性需求。农村教育、耕地面积、乡村精英管理有助于增进妇女参与农田灌溉管理的意愿。     

Incentives to managers or participation of farmers in China's irrigation systems: which matters most for water savings,farmer income,and poverty?

The overall goal of our article is to better understand which matters for water savings, farmer income and poverty in China's irrigation systems: incentives to managers or participation of farmers. To pursue this goal, the article has three objectives. First, we track the evolution of water management reform, examining the practice of providing incentives to managers, and increasing the participation of farmers. Second, we identify the impact of water management reform on crop water use. Specifically, we want to measure whether or not incentives to managers and farmer participation in water management institutions affect the performance of the irrigation system. Because we also are interested in the potential results of water management reform, the article explores how changes in incentives and farmer participation affect farmer income and poverty. Based on a random sample of 51 villages and 189 farmers in four large irrigation districts in Ningxia and Henan provinces, both in China's Yellow River Basin, our results show that the two major forms of water management reform, water users' associations (WUAs) and contracting, have begun to systematically replace traditional forms of collective management. Our analysis demonstrates, however, that it is not the nominal implementation of the reform that matters, but rather it is the creation of new management institutions that offer water managers monetary incentives that lead to water savings. In contrast to the original design of China's reform policies, participation of farmers has not played a role in saving water. Importantly, given China's concerns about national food production and poverty alleviation, the reductions in water, at least in our sample sites, do not lead to reductions in income and do not increase the incidence of poverty.     

The consequences of land-use change and water demands in Central Mongolia

After two decades of decreasing agricultural activities, in 2008 the Mongolian government started the “Third Campaign of Reclaiming Virgin Lands”, aiming at massive expansion and intensification of the agricultural sector. This policy motivated the study presented here, for which we used an integrated modelling approach to investigate the feedbacks between land-use dynamics, agricultural management and biophysical conditions, with a strong focus on assessing availability of water for irrigation. Our simulation results clearly show that under the current extend of irrigated agriculture in several years water demands exceeded water availability, indicating an overexploitation of water resources, mainly in the period 1995–2006. Consequently, the targeted expansion of agricultural water use will either severely deplete water resources with potential negative effects on other users and the environment, or policies are needed to mitigate or avoid potential adverse effects. As simultaneously Mongolian authorities struggle to implement integrated water resources management (IWRM), the latter might provide monitoring concepts and regulations needed to minimise the potential gap between water demands and availability. In this context, integrated modelling could be a scientific tool to support future land and water management decisions, as researchers already started to integrate views and demands of Mongolian authorities into scenario and model development (identified during stakeholder workshops), and will continue to do so during the coming years of collaborative research.     

Golf course irrigation and self-sufficiency water in Southern Spain

During the first decade of the 21st century, many golf courses were developed in the Southeast of Spain, which greatly increased the number of these facilities. Almost all of these golf courses have been accompanied by large residential developments composed of thousands of dwelling units. This article seeks to identify the factors that influence golf courses’ water consumption and estimate the number of dwelling units that an associated residential development needs to have to provide the effluent necessary to fully meet the irrigation needs of a golf course. The study indicates that private golf courses achieve greater levels of irrigation efficiency than public golf courses and that the golf courses associated with residential developments subject the irrigation needs of the grassland to the sale requirements of the real estate properties. The study also estimates that a golf course requires approximately 3000 dwelling units with an average annual occupancy of 33% to achieve self-sufficiency for irrigation.     

Balancing irrigation multifunctionality based on key stakeholders’ attitudes: Lessons learned from the Muzza system,Italy

This research aims to evaluate the perceptions of and preferences for irrigation multifunctionality based on an analysis of stakeholder’ attitudes in a large irrigation system in Northern Italy, the Muzza canal. As the first artificial canal built in Northern Italy, this canal articulates a network of open earth canals that distribute water for irrigation, especially maize. The Stakeholder analysis approach and Governance model approach are applied. The collected data highlights: (1) each key stakeholder points of view regarding multifunctionality and ecosystem services, (2) the nature of conflicting attitudes regarding who and how the Muzza system is managed, and (3) the ability or inability to promote agreements among conflicting water demands. The results show how public administration is concerned about how to manage ecosystem services provided by irrigation practices, while private services are focused on how to guarantee the coexistence of consumptive and non-consumptive water uses, highlighting the persistent conflict between farming production and environmental protection. The rural community and civil society call for a debate about the future of irrigation multifunctionality in the Muzza system and the role of irrigation practices in landscape provision and management. In addition, the paper examines if multifunctionality is a characteristic or an objective of irrigation systems. These results can be used by researchers and relevant authorities to customize their interventions based on previous, well-structured knowledge of various stakeholders’ priorities.     

Coping with drought with innovative pricing systems: the case of two irrigation water management companies in France

In recent years, France has been facing particularly severe drought periods especially in summer. In a country where agriculture is the largest water user, some irrigation management companies have implemented innovative pricing systems to handle this situation. The objective of this article is to analyze the impact of these new management systems on farmers’ incomes, the revenue of the management companies, and the amount of water used. To do that, we develop a methodology using a stochastic model that simulates the representative farmer's optimal behavior in a context of climatic variability. An empirical application is made with a crop growth model and data collected from the Midi‐Pyrenees region. The results show that using these specific nonlinear pricing systems allow irrigation water managers to reduce the impact of drought on production. Moreover, the type of pricing implemented depends on the characteristics and capabilities of the water company. More particularly, these pricing systems can be used to anticipate agricultural water demand in order to avoid imbalance with water availability.     

农户参与小型农田水利设施管护行为的影响因素分析——基于对河南省方城县农户的调查

利用河南省方城县192个样本农户的调查数据,运用博弈模型逻辑和二元Logistic回归分析,分别从理论和实证上探究农户参与小型农田水利设施管护行为的影响因素。研究表明:农户拥有耕地数量、家庭劳动力短缺状况、种粮补贴占种粮投入比例、种粮收入占家庭总收入比重、政府对小型农田水利设施管护投入情况、小型农田水利设施管护对农业生产的重要程度等因素对农户参与小型农田水利设施管护行为正向影响显著,而村庄农户数量对农户参与小型农田水利设施管护行为负向影响显著。最后基于实证分析结果提出了相关政策建议。     

WATER MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE: VILLAGE DAMS IN SRI LANKA

This paper studies the intertemporal allocation of monsoonal water storage in village dam-based irrigation systems in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka. The traditional water management practices observed in these villages are based on common property access and serve to minimise social conflict over water rights. They are also acceptably efficient in economic terms, given the water demands of the traditional rice production technology. Adoption of high-yielding variety (HYV) rice technology produces a dramatic increase in rice output, but the traditional water-management practices then become less efficient. The paper demonstrates a method for determining the nature of an efficient water-management system and for estimating the economic magnitude of the inefficiency arising from the traditional practices. In the case study, efficient water management increases the gains available from HYV adoption by a further one fourth.     

DEVELOPMENT AND ANALYSIS OF INPUT-OUTPUT RELATIONS FOR IRRIGATION WATER

Recent developments in climatology mean that economists now have a highly acceptable physical theory which can underlie their analysis of the economic aspects of water as an input to the production process, as a source of production instability, and as a major component of error in their estimated crop production functions. This paper presents a model and a procedure for synthesising and analysing irrigation water crop input output relations based on this theory. The importance of time of application of water as well as quantity is shown. Different frequencies of irrigation are optimal at different times of the growing season.     

Impacts of changing water inflow distributions on irrigation and farm income along the Drâa River in Morocco

Irrigation water is essential for agriculture in the arid Drâa River basin in Morocco but climate change leads to increasingly unreliable water supply in the area. This article analyzes impacts of changing water inflow distributions on irrigation and farm income extending a conjunctive river basin model toward a stochastic modeling approach. Regional climate scenarios are used to derive a maximum likelihood density estimate of current and future water supplies. Based on these distributions, Monte Carlo simulations are performed to obtain stochastic model results on surface and groundwater irrigation as well as economic indicators for six oases along the river. The probability of farmers to receive revenues below the subsistence level is around 2% under current conditions, but this is likely to rise to rates of 6% to 15% depending on the underlying climate change scenario. The composition of water sources for irrigation will shift to more groundwater use. The river basin model is able to represent complex spatial interactions between oases as well as a partial complementarity between groundwater and surface water irrigation due to salinity management effects. Interestingly, the value of groundwater is not necessarily increasing under future climatic conditions as salinity problems are aggravated with expanded groundwater use.     

江苏省赣榆县灌区农民用水者协会管理模式探讨

针对当前农村灌区用水水费管理混乱的问题,以江苏省赣榆县灌区用水农民用水者协会管理模式实践为例,介绍当前灌区用水农民用水者协会管理模式现状及试行该模式后取得的主要成效,对水费收缴方式、水价改革、用水管理模式作了初步探索,分析制约协会管理模式发展的主要因素,对其可持续发展前景进行了展望并提出相应建议。     

The positive impacts of irrigation schedules on rice yield and water consumption: synergies in Jilin Province,Northeast China

Food and water security in China are inextricably linked to the development of regional economy, especially for regions with temporary or sustained water shortage such as Jilin Province in northeast China. Water-saving irrigation practices are therefore urgently sought to maintain sustainable growth in grain production. To improve knowledge of the effect of irrigation water level on rice yield and water-use efficiency (WUE), we conducted a field experimental study over two growing seasons in central Jilin. The irrigation experiment included four schedules: (1) traditional irrigation (CK), (2) shallow wet irrigation (T1), (3) intermittent irrigation (T2), and (4) controlled irrigation (T3). Soil test pits were used to estimate evapotranspiration and seepage. The study showed that T3 had the highest WUE (1.64?kg/m³). However, the highest rice yield was found in T1 (9867?kg/ha¹) that achieved the second highest WUE (1.63?kg/m³). Compared with CK, T1 and T3 consumed 7.3% and 36.1% less water, respectively. If adopted at the operational scale, these two schedules could help reduce the pressure of local surface water supply and the production costs significantly. The results gained from this study could also have relevant implication in developing an effective irrigation management for other high-latitude regions.     

农业节水中妇女因素影响研究进展

[目的]农村劳动力性别结构发生变化,使妇女承担起了包括农业灌溉在内更多的农业生产劳动。妇女农业节水对水资源的高效利用具有重要的现实意义。[方法]文章基于文献梳理的视角,采用文献分析法和比较归纳法,类列出现有研究中妇女对农业节水影响的定性,界定妇女赋权的概念,提出利用微观调研数据定量分析不同因子对妇女农业节水的影响及其单个因子的贡献率。[结果]（1）农业女性化是工业与农业竞争发展博弈的结果,尽管该趋势延续与否、对农业生产发展利弊的判定尚不明确,但是农村劳动力性别结构发生变化确定无疑,妇女更深程度地参与了农业生产多个环节,农业劳动也相应更多地落在了妇女肩上。（2）妇女成为农业灌溉的主要力量,却因受限于教育程度相对偏低、劳动压力大、社会地位边缘化等原因影响了在农业节水中表现。（3）赋予妇女权能,使其能在承担了灌溉劳动的同时有机会参与水资源的管理,激发妇女在农业节水中的积极作用。[结论]妇女对农业节水影响的研究较少,已有文献多以定性研究为主,且对妇女农业节水与否说法不一。采用微观调研数据分析妇女年龄、健康状况、文化程度、节水意愿、地区经济发展水平、家庭总收入、政策扶持、技能培训、干旱情况、土壤...     

Optimisation of water procurement decisions in an irrigation district: the role of option contracts

Water supply instability is one of the main risks faced by irrigation districts and farmers. Water procurement decision optimisation is essential in order to increase supply reliability and reduce costs. Water markets, such as spot purchases or water supply option contracts, can make this decision process more flexible. We analyse the potential interest in an option contract for an irrigation district that has access to several water sources. We apply a stochastic recursive mathematical programming model to simulate the water procurement decisions of an irrigation district's board operating in a context of water supply uncertainty in south‐eastern Spain. We analyse what role different option contracts could play in securing its water supply. Results suggest that the irrigation district would be willing to accept the proposed option contract in most cases subject to realistic values of the option contract financial terms. Of nine different water sources, desalination and the option contract are the main substitutes, where the use of either depends on the contract parameters. The contract premium and optioned volume are the variables that have a greater impact on the irrigation district's decisions.     

浅论农田灌溉高效用水管理机制的现状及改革途径

论述我国农田灌溉高效用水管理机制的重要性,讨论我国农田灌溉高效用水管理机制发展过程与存在的主要问题：重建设、轻改革、轻管理的倾向仍然存在;对灌区水利工程产权制度改革没有进行科学化、规范化的管理;管理水平落后,缺乏一定的标准;节水法规体系尚不健全.提出改革我国农田灌溉高效用水管理机制的途径与对策：提高认识,加强对改革工作的领导;加大宣传力度,促进水意识的觉醒;加快角色转换,转变政府职能,理顺水管理体制;通过水权、水市场理论的实践推进灌区等用水体制改革;合理进行水价改革,完善水价体系;建立和维护农民自主管理灌溉用水的制度,让用水户参与灌溉管理;建立稳定可靠的投入机制;实事求是地选择农田灌溉高效用水机制;抓好试点,注重实效,全面推进水管体制的改革.     

皂河灌区管理体制改革方案探讨

针对皂河灌区运行管理中存在的问题，探讨了供水公司和用水者协会的任务和运行准则，分析了灌区的水价构成，明确水费的征收方式和使用范围。提出推进灌区管理体制改革必须加强政府的扶持、指导、监督作用，必须进一步开展灌区的综合经营。     

Non–Market Interventions in Water–Sharing:Case Studies from West Bengal, India

This paper deals with two issues that are important areas of concern in the recent literature on water management in less–developed countries: forms of ownership of groundwater resources and alternatives to anarchy in the exploitation and use of groundwater. The emergence of a market for irrigation water has been argued to have the potential to provide irrigation water to large numbers of small cultivators in developing countries. The development of free markets for water, however, has also been shown to be associated with the emergence of 'water–lords' and with contracts for the purchase and sale of water that are biased against the poor. By contrast, this paper presents two examples of viable non–market interventions in water–sharing – regulation of water markets by village councils and cooperative tubewell groups – from villages in West Bengal, India. These interventions both improved the efficiency of water–use and represented relatively equitable arrangements for water–sharing.     

Urban and tourist land use patterns and water consumption: Evidence from Mallorca,Balearic Islands

The island of Mallorca is the main Balearic resort and sustainable water management is a key challenge for the economic and ecological sustainability of tourism as the main economic activity. The critical water supply situation on the island is being exacerbated by the extension of the tourist base to so-called “quality tourism”. Since the mid 1990s, low-density residential tourist land uses associated with second homes and more affluent urban dwellers have spread around existing mass tourist urban centres. Increasing water consumption for outdoor uses (gardens, swimming pools) is a direct consequence of this development. Available water consumption data mask the impact of residential tourism on water consumption levels. The objective of the present paper is to compare per capita water consumption in quality tourist, mass tourist and residential urban areas, and to provide quantitative information on the magnitude of water consumption by gardens and swimming pools as water-related leisure structures. The analysis combines water consumption data with a land use geodatabase at the sub-parcel scale, a detailed population inventory, and an estimate of pool water use. The results show that quality tourism produces higher water consumption levels per capita than mass tourism. Garden irrigation is the single main cause of the high water consumption in quality tourist areas and accounts for more than 70% of these areas’ total consumption in summer. But even in mass tourist and residential areas, garden irrigation accounts for up to 30% and 20%, respectively, of total water consumption in summer. Individually owned swimming pools cause an additional average water consumption of 22 litres/person/day. The proliferation of swimming pools and lavish ‘Atlantic’ gardens may turn out as one of the biggest threats to sustainable water management on the island of Mallorca and in other tourist destinations adapting the quality tourist model.     

Asia's Irrigation Management in Transition: A Paradigm Shift Faces High Transaction Costs

Many water management problems have arisen in past Asian irrigation projects. They have been characterized as a vicious cycle involving the lack of maintenance, poor irrigation service, low rates of fee collection, inadequate institutional arrangements, and lack of user participation. This article argues that we have generally agreed on a strategy to address these problems and asks whether or not the strategy is being implemented effectively. A review of the irrigation record of six countries in Asia (including India and China) shows that they have implemented several of the key irrigation management reforms but that high transaction costs have delayed reform.