Synergizing Socioeconomic, Technological, and Environmental Factors Influencing the Adoption of High-Efficiency Irrigation Systems (HEIS): Insights from Highland Balochistan, Pakistan

Abstract

Water plays a crucial role in sustaining human life and facilitating global economic development. Balochistan, the largest province of Pakistan, faces severe water scarcity primarily because of the unregulated extraction of groundwater aquifers. The scarcity of water resources can be effectively addressed by increasing Water Use Efficiency (WUE) achievable through the adoption of High-Efficienscy Irrigation Systems (HEIS). Despite substantial efforts by both public and private sectors, the adoption rate of efficient techniques remains notably low. Evaluating the factors influencing the adoption of high-efficiency irrigation methods and their resultant impact on water use efficiency is the need of time. In this study, an effort was made to study HEIS and its characteristics including the factors affecting the adoption decision, operation duration, and the economics of HEIS. The present study focused, on three main river basins using a multistage sampling technique in highland Balochistan. Three key basins namely Nari River Basin (NRB), Zhob River Basin (ZRB), and Pishin Lora Basin (PLB) Out of 18 basins in Balochistan were selected purposively. These basins are currently dealing with the issue of depleted groundwater table at a rate of more than 5-15 feet annually in the majority of their aquifers. A representative sample size of 300 farmers was chosen using a proportionate stratified sampling technique. Logistic regression was employed to analyze the data and the study findings revealed that the availability of off-farm income and higher education level were found to have highly significant and positive relationships with the likelihood of adoption. Farmers' age and the level of water scarcity were additional significant factors. Along with them, installation costs, maintenance expenses, and technological complexity were key barriers to HEIS adoption. To increase farmers' willingness to accept technology in highland Balochistan, organizations should undertake extension and educational training to increase knowledge and awareness of HEIS.