Spatial water management under alternative institutional arrangements (A case study of coastal lands of Yengejeh Dam)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics, Dept. of Economics, Neyshabur Branch, Islamic Azad University, Neyshabur, Iran

2 Professor of Agricultural Economics, Dept. of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

3 Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics, Dept. of Agricultural Economics, College of Agriculture, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Currently, water demand management and optimal operation of its resources is one of
the most important issues in environmental economics and management. Water demand
management has been a concern of economic planners as a new approach in environmental
economics. This study aims to investigate water demand management in different product
markets in downstream of Yengejeh Dam in Neyshabur. This is an exploratory study in
nature which was conducted through a questionnaire survey in 2015-2016. The population
of this research is composed of all farmers who use water from Yengejeh Dam to irrigate
their lands. Using Cochran formula at the level of 6% error, 139 farmers were selected as
the sample of this research randomly. A scenario of increasing the elasticity of product
demand in resource allocation in the competitive and monopolar water market was
developed by assimilation algorithm in the studied region. According to the market
situation of water in the region which is almost similar to monopolar water market, the
results suggest that if barley farmers replace cultivation of this crop and orient towards
exported products instead, the amount of product is reduced and farmers increase their yield
per hectare of land while using more water supply and more area under cultivation.

Keywords


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