Abstract
Mental models are the dynamic, internal cognitive representations of people's interaction with the world. Such models can be used to gain insights into how humans structure their beliefs and actions about environmental issues. This research paper aims to understand the mental models of sustainable groundwater management among farmers in semi-arid regions of Maharashtra, India. Using a mixed method approach of qualitative interviews and systems mapping, we assess how past experiences with drought and water scarcity have influenced farmers' beliefs, perceptions, and actions and develop mental models that highlight the dynamic processes that guide farmer actions regarding groundwater use and management. We identify policy triggers that can nudge farmers toward sustainable groundwater management in the future. Our results reveal three key insights: i) Farmers who experience higher water scarcity have a higher desire for groundwater conservation and higher consciousness towards future groundwater sustainability, ii) Farmers' actions towards either increased groundwater extraction or conservation are shaped by complex social, environmental, and institutional dynamics rather than self-interested individual will, and iii) Supply-driven water policies and initiatives can lead to maladaptive outcomes such as an increase in groundwater extraction in the long run. Current water policies need a transformative shift from focusing on short-term groundwater supply to those that facilitate long-term sustainable groundwater management by influencing the norms, values, and behavior toward groundwater conservation. Future interventions that allow and encourage collective mobilization, enhanced ownership and participation, adequate training, financial resources, and decentralized management structures with enhanced accountability are likely to be more effective in developing long-term solutions for sustainable groundwater management.
Published Version
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