IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/agrhuv/v32y2015i2p347-360.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The human dimensions of water saving irrigation: lessons learned from Chinese smallholder farmers

Author

Listed:
  • Morey Burnham
  • Zhao Ma
  • Delan Zhu

Abstract

Water saving irrigation (WSI) is promoted as a strategy to mitigate future water stresses by the Chinese government and irrigation scientists. However, the dissemination of WSI in China has been slow and little is understood with respect to why farmers adopt WSI or how WSI interacts with the social and institutional contexts in which it is embedded. By analyzing qualitative data from 37 semi-structured and 56 unstructured interviews across 13 villages in northwest China, this paper examines smallholder farmers’ knowledge and perceptions of WSI, and how WSI interacts with farmer livelihood decision-making and extant systems of land and water management. The results show that smallholders’ willingness to adopt and continuously use WSI was dampened by (1) a lack of communal capital and measures for conflict resolution, (2) a disconnect between the temporal demands of practicing WSI and the ways farmers prioritize different livelihood strategies, (3) misconceptions about WSI systems and how they work, (4) market risks, and (5) landownership structure and economies of scale. These results suggest that programs for promoting WSI must be holistic in nature and address smallholders’ day-to-day problems. Understanding why WSI did not succeed in some places will help formulate policy interventions that avoid reproducing conflicts, risks, and technological malfunctions responsible for previous failure. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Morey Burnham & Zhao Ma & Delan Zhu, 2015. "The human dimensions of water saving irrigation: lessons learned from Chinese smallholder farmers," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 32(2), pages 347-360, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:32:y:2015:i:2:p:347-360
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-014-9565-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s10460-014-9565-8
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10460-014-9565-8?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David R. Lee, 2005. "Agricultural Sustainability and Technology Adoption: Issues and Policies for Developing Countries," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 87(5), pages 1325-1334.
    2. Liu, Haijun & Huang, Guanhua, 2009. "Laboratory experiment on drip emitter clogging with fresh water and treated sewage effluent," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(5), pages 745-756, May.
    3. van der Kooij, Saskia & Zwarteveen, Margreet & Boesveld, Harm & Kuper, Marcel, 2013. "The efficiency of drip irrigation unpacked," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 103-110.
    4. Chaoqing Yu, 2011. "China's water crisis needs more than words," Nature, Nature, vol. 470(7334), pages 307-307, February.
    5. Harris, Leila M., 2008. "Water Rich, Resource Poor: Intersections of Gender, Poverty, and Vulnerability in Newly Irrigated Areas of Southeastern Turkey," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 2643-2662, December.
    6. Shah, T. & Keller, J., 2002. "Micro-irrigation and the poor: A marketing challenge in smallholder irrigation development," IWMI Books, Reports H030880, International Water Management Institute.
    7. Marcia Nation, 2010. "Understanding women’s participation in irrigated agriculture: a case study from Senegal," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 27(2), pages 163-176, June.
    8. Friedlander, Lonia & Tal, Alon & Lazarovitch, Naftali, 2013. "Technical considerations affecting adoption of drip irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 125-132.
    9. Eakin, Hallie, 2005. "Institutional change, climate risk, and rural vulnerability: Cases from Central Mexico," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 33(11), pages 1923-1938, November.
    10. Yang, Hong & Zhang, Xiaohe & Zehnder, Alexander J. B., 2003. "Water scarcity, pricing mechanism and institutional reform in northern China irrigated agriculture," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 61(2), pages 143-161, June.
    11. Hefa Cheng & Yuanan Hu, 2012. "Improving China’s water resources management for better adaptation to climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 112(2), pages 253-282, May.
    12. Mustafa, Daanish & Qazi, Muhammed Usman, 2007. "Transition from Karez to Tubewell Irrigation: Development, Modernization, and Social Capital in Balochistan, Pakistan," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 35(10), pages 1796-1813, October.
    13. Deng, Xi-Ping & Shan, Lun & Zhang, Heping & Turner, Neil C., 2006. "Improving agricultural water use efficiency in arid and semiarid areas of China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 80(1-3), pages 23-40, February.
    14. von Westarp, Stefanie & Chieng, Sietan & Schreier, Hans, 2004. "A comparison between low-cost drip irrigation, conventional drip irrigation, and hand watering in Nepal," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 143-160, January.
    15. Shudong Zhou & Thomas Herzfeld & Thomas Glauben & Yunhua Zhang & Bingchuan Hu, 2008. "Factors Affecting Chinese Farmers' Decisions to Adopt a Water‐Saving Technology," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 56(1), pages 51-61, March.
    16. Seth Cook & Huilan Wei, 2002. "The Anomalous Nature of Development Success: A case study from China," Development, Palgrave Macmillan;Society for International Deveopment, vol. 45(3), pages 76-80, September.
    17. Lohmar, Bryan & Wang, Jinxia & Rozelle, Scott & Huang, Jikun & Dawe, David, 2003. "China'S Agricultural Water Policy Reforms: Increasing Investment, Resolving Conflicts, And Revising Incentives," Agricultural Information Bulletins 33643, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    18. Xiaoxia Zou & Yu-e Li & Qingzhu Gao & Yunfan Wan, 2012. "How water saving irrigation contributes to climate change resilience—a case study of practices in China," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 111-132, February.
    19. Blanke, Amelia & Rozelle, Scott & Lohmar, Bryan & Wang, Jinxia & Huang, Jikun, 2007. "Water saving technology and saving water in China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 87(2), pages 139-150, January.
    20. Judith Carney, 1998. "Women‘s land rights in Gambian irrigated rice schemes: Constraints and opportunities," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 15(4), pages 325-336, December.
    21. Burney, Jennifer A. & Naylor, Rosamond L., 2012. "Smallholder Irrigation as a Poverty Alleviation Tool in Sub-Saharan Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 110-123.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yongqiang Zhang & Hao Sun & Maosheng Ge & Hang Zhao & Yifan Hu & Changyue Cui & Zhibin Wu, 2023. "Difference in Energy Input and Output in Agricultural Production under Surface Irrigation and Water-Saving Irrigation: A Case Study of Kiwi Fruit in Shaanxi," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-18, February.
    2. Ding Xiuling & Lu Qian & Li Lipeng & Apurbo Sarkar, 2023. "The Impact of Technical Training on Farmers Adopting Water-Saving Irrigation Technology: An Empirical Evidence from China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-20, April.
    3. Mi, Qiao & Li, Xiandong & Li, Xianmei & Yu, Guoxin & Gao, Jianzhong, 2021. "Cotton farmers' adaptation to arid climates: Waiting times to adopt water-saving technology," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 244(C).
    4. Erwin, Anna & Ma, Zhao & Popovici, Ruxandra & Salas O’Brien, Emma Patricia & Zanotti, Laura & Silva, Chelsea A. & Zeballos, Eliseo Zeballos & Bauchet, Jonathan & Calderón, Nelly Ramírez & Arce Larrea,, 2022. "Linking migration to community resilience in the receiving basin of a large-scale water transfer project," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    5. Bell, Andrew R. & Ward, Patrick S. & Ashfaq, Muhammad & Davies, Stephen, 2017. "Can agricultural aspirations influence preferences for new technologies? Cropping systems and preferences for high-efficiency irrigation in Punjab, Pakistan," IFPRI discussion papers 1636, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    6. Rasmussen, Laura Vang, 2018. "Re-Defining Sahelian ‘Adaptive Agriculture’ when Implemented Locally: Beyond Techno-fix Solutions," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 274-282.
    7. Dandan Zhao & Hong Zhou, 2021. "Livelihoods, Technological Constraints, and Low-Carbon Agricultural Technology Preferences of Farmers: Analytical Frameworks of Technology Adoption and Farmer Livelihoods," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-19, December.
    8. Ma, Zhao & Clarke, Mysha & Church, Sarah P., 2018. "Insights into individual and cooperative invasive plant management on family forestlands," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 682-693.
    9. Burnham, Morey & Ma, Zhao, 2018. "Multi-Scalar Pathways to Smallholder Adaptation," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 249-262.
    10. Qiuyan Wang & Qingjian Zhao, 2022. "Assessing Ecological Infrastructure Investments—A Case Study of Water Rights Trading in Lu’an City, Anhui Province, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-23, February.
    11. Yongfeng Tan & Apurbo Sarkar & Airin Rahman & Lu Qian & Waqar Hussain Memon & Zharkyn Magzhan, 2021. "Does External Shock Influence Farmer’s Adoption of Modern Irrigation Technology?—A Case of Gansu Province, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-16, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Burnham, Morey & Ma, Zhao, 2018. "Multi-Scalar Pathways to Smallholder Adaptation," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 249-262.
    2. Venot, Jean-Philippe, 2016. "A Success of Some Sort: Social Enterprises and Drip Irrigation in the Developing World," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 69-81.
    3. Fang, Q.X. & Ma, L. & Green, T.R. & Yu, Q. & Wang, T.D. & Ahuja, L.R., 2010. "Water resources and water use efficiency in the North China Plain: Current status and agronomic management options," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(8), pages 1102-1116, August.
    4. Khampheng Boudmyxay & Shuai Zhong & Lei Shen, 2019. "Designing Optimum Water-Saving Policy in China Using Quantity and Price Control Mechanisms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-20, May.
    5. Shuhong Wang & Ning Yin & Zhihai Yang, 2021. "Factors affecting sustained adoption of irrigation water-saving technologies in groundwater over-exploited areas in the North China Plain," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(7), pages 10528-10546, July.
    6. Zhang, Biao & Fu, Zetian & Wang, Jieqiong & Zhang, Lingxian, 2019. "Farmers’ adoption of water-saving irrigation technology alleviates water scarcity in metropolis suburbs: A case study of Beijing, China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 349-357.
    7. Feike, Til & Khor, Ling Yee & Mamitimin, Yusuyunjiang & Ha, Nan & Li, Lin & Abdusalih, Nurbay & Xiao, Haifeng & Doluschitz, Reiner, 2017. "Determinants of cotton farmers’ irrigation water management in arid Northwestern China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 1-10.
    8. Jianjun Tang & Henk Folmer & Arno J. Vlist & Jianhong Xue, 2014. "The impacts of management reform on irrigation water use efficiency in the Guanzhong plain, China," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 93(2), pages 455-475, June.
    9. Garb, Yaakov & Friedlander, Lonia, 2014. "From transfer to translation: Using systemic understandings of technology to understand drip irrigation uptake," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 13-24.
    10. Calzadilla, Alvaro & Rehdanz, Katrin & Tol, Richard S.J., 2008. "Water scarcity and the impact of improved irrigation management: A CGE analysis," Conference papers 331788, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    11. Kuhn, L. & Hou, L. & Chen, X. & Huang, J., 2018. "Agricultural machinery for cleaner air An analysis of the effectiveness of three policy measures for reducing residue burning in Northern China," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277374, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    12. Feike, Til & Henseler, Martin, 2017. "Multiple Policy Instruments for Sustainable Water Management in Crop Production - A Modeling Study for the Chinese Aksu-Tarim Region," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 42-54.
    13. Tianyi Zhang & Jinxia Wang & Yishu Teng, 2017. "Adaptive Effectiveness of Irrigated Area Expansion in Mitigating the Impacts of Climate Change on Crop Yields in Northern China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-14, May.
    14. Palatnik, Ruslana & Shechter, Mordechai, 2008. "Can Climate Change Mitigation Policy be Beneficial for the Israeli Economy? A Computable General Equilibrium Analysis," Conference papers 331792, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    15. Xue, Jingyuan & Guan, Huade & Huo, Zailin & Wang, Fengxin & Huang, Guanhua & Boll, Jan, 2017. "Water saving practices enhance regional efficiency of water consumption and water productivity in an arid agricultural area with shallow groundwater," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 78-89.
    16. Huang, Qiuqiong & Wang, Jinxia & Li, Yumin, 2017. "Do water saving technologies save water? Empirical evidence from North China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 1-16.
    17. Jian Xie, 2009. "Addressing China's Water Scarcity : Recommendations for Selected Water Resource Management Issues," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 2585, December.
    18. Ratchaneewan Chuchird & Nophea Sasaki & Issei Abe, 2017. "Influencing Factors of the Adoption of Agricultural Irrigation Technologies and the Economic Returns: A Case Study in Chaiyaphum Province, Thailand," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-16, August.
    19. Qiu, Guo Yu & Zhang, Xiaonan & Yu, Xiaohui & Zou, Zhendong, 2018. "The increasing effects in energy and GHG emission caused by groundwater level declines in North China’s main food production plain," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 203(C), pages 138-150.
    20. Giovanni Pino & Pierluigi Toma & Cristian Rizzo & Pier Paolo Miglietta & Alessandro M. Peluso & Gianluigi Guido, 2017. "Determinants of Farmers’ Intention to Adopt Water Saving Measures: Evidence from Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-14, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:32:y:2015:i:2:p:347-360. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.