An assessment of the role of ponds in the adoption of water-saving irrigation practices in the Zhanghe Irrigation System, China

Mushtaq, Shahbaz and Dawe, David and Lin, Hong and Moya, Piedad (2006) An assessment of the role of ponds in the adoption of water-saving irrigation practices in the Zhanghe Irrigation System, China. Agricultural Water Management, 83 (1-2). pp. 100-110. ISSN 0378-3774

Abstract

The main purpose of the study was to determine the impact of ponds on the adoption of water-saving irrigation (WSI) practices. We hypothesized that access to ponds would
increase the likelihood of practicing alternate wetting and drying (AWD). While it seems reasonable that the ability to access pond water would reduce the risk involved in letting the paddy dry temporarily, and thus encourage adoption of AWD, we can find no solid empirical evidence to support the proposition. The result showed that adoption of AWD is not driven by farmer desire but rather imposed on them due to increasing water scarcity. Furthermore, we found that farmers who were more reliant on pond irrigation were less likely to adopt AWD – the ponds were used to avoid soil drying. Because of the numerous benefits, it is assumed that pond water sources will continue to play an important role in sustaining crop production.

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Item Type:	Article (Commonwealth Reporting Category C)
Refereed:	Yes
Item Status:	Live Archive
Additional Information:	© 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Author's version not held.
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre:	Current - USQ Other
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre:	Current - USQ Other
Date Deposited:	20 Apr 2010 13:17
Last Modified:	21 Nov 2013 00:23
Uncontrolled Keywords:	water-saving irrigation practices; water ponds; adoption
Fields of Research (2008):	09 Engineering > 0999 Other Engineering > 099901 Agricultural Engineering 07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences > 0799 Other Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences > 079901 Agricultural Hydrology (Drainage, Flooding, Irrigation, Quality, etc.) 14 Economics > 1403 Econometrics > 140302 Econometric and Statistical Methods
Fields of Research (2020):	40 ENGINEERING > 4099 Other engineering > 409901 Agricultural engineering 30 AGRICULTURAL, VETERINARY AND FOOD SCIENCES > 3002 Agriculture, land and farm management > 300201 Agricultural hydrology 38 ECONOMICS > 3802 Econometrics > 380202 Econometric and statistical methods
Socio-Economic Objectives (2008):	D Environment > 96 Environment > 9609 Land and Water Management > 960999 Land and Water Management of Environments not elsewhere classified
Identification Number or DOI:	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2005.10.004
URI:	http://eprints.usq.edu.au/id/eprint/7518

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