Agricultural Water Management Challenges in Qazvin Plain Irrigation Network

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Department of Irrigation and Reclamation Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

Abstract

 
Irrigation network is a set of hydraulic channels and related structures that is created with the aim of transferring, distributing and delivering water fairly as well as efficiently. However, due to constraints resulting from type of management and maintenance, climate changes, social and cultural characteristics of users, and financial issues, their performance are usually faced with major challenges. Qazvin irrigation network is one of the modern networks in the country and after more than 40 years of implementation of this network, many problems and challenges in the field of agricultural water management are observed in this network. The purpose of the present research is to identify the important challenges in the field of agricultural water management in Qazvin plain irrigation network, to investigate the importance of challenges and performance in relation to the challenges, and finally to provide practical strategies to improve the state of the system with a new approach by using Importance-Performance Analysis technique. The method of conducting the study to identify the challenges has been library studies and then using Delphi technique. Furthermore, the importance of the challenges has been identified by using Best-Worst method. Evaluating the responce of the officials authorities  to the challenges using Importance-Performance Analysis technique, demonstrates that the challenges of lack of enough motivation in farmers to reduce agriculture water consumption, lack of governmental supports for established organizations, lack of supervision on implementation of crop patterns and cultivation area, budget issues, and lack of sufficient training for farmers, in ordre are five challenges in the first quadrant of the importance-performance matrix that should be prioritized for improvement. Several practical solutions to solve the challenges for Qazvin plain irrigation network such as doing more support from government in terms of using suitable irrigation methoed while considering the approved crop pattern and providing clear information for the statue of current situation and making coordination among all types of involved sectors are presented in the results section.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Agricultural Water Management Challenges in Qazvin Plain Irrigation Network

Extended Abstract

Introduction

Statistics show that a significant part of the world's fresh water is used for agriculture. So it is essential to pay special attention to water management in this section. In this research, agricultural water management challenges in Qazvin plain irrigation network has been studied. The purpose of the present research is to identify the important challenges in the field of agricultural water management in Qazvin plain irrigation network, to investigate the importance of challenges and performance in relation to the challenges, and finally to provide practical strategies to improve the state of the system with a new approach by using Importance-Performance Analysis technique.

Materials and Methods

The method of conducting the study to identify the challenges has been library studies and then using Delphi technique. Using library studies and experienced consulting engineers, the basic questionnaire was prepared. The questionnaire was distributed among Qazvin irrigation network experts. Using 3 rounds of Delphi technique, the experts reached a consensus about challenges. Furthermore, the importance of the challenges was identified by using Best-Worst method. Best-Worst method is a multi-criteria decision-making method which requires less comparison data and leads to more reliable results. Also, the performance of challenges was evaluated by officials. Then, Importance- Performance Analysis was used to help managers on how to deal with challenges.

Results and Discussion

26 important challenges were identified by library studies and Delphi technique. Using Best-Worst method showed that the challenges of a) lack of enough motivation in farmers to reduce agriculture water consumption, b) lack of supervision on implementation of crop patterns and cultivation area, c) budget issues, d) Improper structure of water conveyance and distribution, e) lack of fair distribution of operation and maintenance services between the main and on farm irrigation network are the five most important challenges in the field of agricultural water management in Qazvin plain irrigation network, respectively. Evaluating the performance of the officials in relation to the challenges and using Importance- Performance Analysis showed that challenges of a) lack of enough motivation in farmers to reduce agriculture water consumption, b) lack of governmental supports for established organizations, c) lack of supervision on implementation of crop patterns and cultivation area, d) budget issues, and e) lack of sufficient training for farmers, are five challenges in the first quadrant of the importance-performance matrix that should be prioritized for improvement, respectively.

The agricultural water management challenges in Qazvin plain irrigation network can not be attributed solely to the government, private sector or water users, but it can be said that the government plays the main role. In most of the challenges, due to more power, the government can play a more prominent role to reduce the challenges, but without the help of the private sector and water users, it can not achieve its goals or the solutions will not be sustainable and long-term.

In order to succeed in managing challenges, planning, monitoring, motivating, supporting, delegating necessary power by the government to the private sector and water users and coordination between different sectors is essential.

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Iranian Journal of Soil and Water Research
Volume 54, Issue 12
March 2024
Pages 1945-1962

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