Farmers’ Participation Obstacles in Management of Irrigation Networks

The purposes of this study are to analysis and group the participations’ obstacles of users in usage management and the irrigation networks maintenance in Semnan province. It was applied research and causal-correlation method was used. The statistical population of the study consists of all farmers having used irrigation networks in the Semnan province (Garmsar and Damghan town) having a population over of 18650 and finally 255 of which answered the questions. The main instrument used for date collection was questionnaire. To determine validity, the questionnaires were given to experts and some doctorate students, and then to evaluate reliability of the questionnaires, a pretest has been done, which was on 30 random farmers of Tehran (Varamin area), the gained questionnaire’s Alpha Coefficient was %88, it shows suitable reliability of the questionnaires. the main obstacles for the farmers’ participation were political obstacles (government’s inattention to roles of non–governmental organizations, the government’s inattention to users’ ownership right, the users being’s not clear of goals of participation, the focus of the maintenance and management activities of irrigation networks by the government, The government’s inattention to role of council) which have the most share (31.12) and then economical obstacles were (not economical in the maintenance and management of irrigation networks, lack of credits necessary for programs, usage management and the irrigation networks maintenance projects having the late outcome, financial inability for participation). Psychological and personal factors (unwell physical state for participation; programs are not adaptive with the farmers’ needs) which have the least share (3.39) in explaining total variance of the participations’ obstacles of users in usage management and the irrigation networks maintenance. These 5 factors explained 66.12 of total variance of all public participation’s obstacles in the usage management and the irrigation networks maintenance.