Abstract
Promoting sustainable water management (SWM) practices among farmers is essential in order to ensure water sustainability. This study aimed to analyze patterns in the adoption of SWM practices by farmers at the farm level, and how their awareness regarding the causes of agricultural water pollution influence SWM adoption. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect field data using structured questionnaires from 129 farmers in the Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia. The results indicate that 38.8% of farmers had a high awareness of the causes of water pollution from agriculture. Approximately half of the farmers exhibited a high rate of adoption of SWM practices, most of whom adopted water quality and soil management practices. The findings reveal a positive association (0.37, p < 0.01) between SWM adoption and awareness regarding water pollution caused by agriculture, whereby the farmers with more awareness regarding the causes of water pollution from agriculture showed a higher level of adoption for 55% of the SWM practices. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the awareness levels regarding the causes of agricultural water pollution and cultivated crops significantly influenced the adoption of SWM by farmers. The findings and implications provide an understanding of the SWM practices of farmers, and offers insights for policymakers aiming to reformulate strategies and policies combatting water scarcity in Saudi Arabia.
Highlights
The agriculture sector consumes about 70% of global freshwater withdrawals [1], and around 90% of global groundwater withdrawals [2]
This paper attempted to develop an understanding of the adoption of sustainable water management (SWM) practices by Saudi farmers
Saudi Arabia, this study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by highlighting the relationship between the awareness of farmers concerning the causes of agricultural water pollution and the adoption of SWM practices, as well as the factors influencing adoption
Summary
The agriculture sector consumes about 70% of global freshwater withdrawals [1], and around 90% of global groundwater withdrawals [2]. A huge amount of water is lost during its distribution and application, resulting in low water-use efficiency [4,5]. About 35% of irrigation water is lost because of conveyance, farm distribution, and field application losses [6]. Evidence suggests that climate change will affect the availability, distribution, and quality of water [7]. On the other hand, polluted water is another example of water with potential future uses being irreparably lost. About 36 million hectares of land are under wastewater cultivation worldwide [10], and around 10% of the world’s population consumes agricultural products produced with wastewater irrigation [11]. Poor quality irrigation water contains pathogens and heavy metals, and can cause potentially harmful environmental and health effects [12]
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