Adoption Of Water Conservation Technologies Research Articles

Impact of mindfulness on irrigation water consumption

As two irreversible trends—population growth and climate change advance further, demand for water conservation will increase. Since irrigation is the major source of use (and waste) of freshwater, the professionals in this field will be under pressure to find innovative ways to increase physical irrigation efficiency. Irrigation water management promotes the delivery of water in a quantity that meets the needs of the crop while avoiding runoff and prolonged soil saturation. Water and energy can be conserved by improving application precision and decreasing unused applications. The adoption of water conservation technologies do not always increase the physical irrigation efficiency. Paradoxically, in many cases it may also increase water withdrawal. However, there are non-economic reasons because of which farmers invest their time and effort to reduce wastage of water. Higher irrigation efficiency is likely to depend on behavioral characteristics of the farmer. This research looks at whether mindfulness is one of the characteristics that influences water conservation. It also looks at the mechanism of this effect and the mediating role of environmental concern. It is found that mindfulness has a direct effect as also an indirect effect (through environmental concern) on increase in physical irrigation efficiency. The estimated effect of mindfulness through environmental concern is about two-thirds of the total effect, the remaining one-third of the effect coming directly from mindfulness.

Adoption of Water Conservation Technologies among Small Scale Farmers in Lwengo District – Uganda

This study identified and characterised the dominant water conservation technologies (WCT) employed by small scale farmers in Malongo and Kyazanga sub-counties in Lwengo district. It employed a cross sectional household survey design, using systematic sampling to obtain 380 household samples. A quantitative analysis, Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) and Logit regression model were used to analyse these data to identify and characterise the dominant WCT and establish the most significant factor affecting the adoption of the technologies. Results indicated that mulching was the most dominant WCT employed, followed by Valley dams/reservoirs, terracing, tied ridges, deep tillage and infiltration pits. The Logit model indicated that out of seven factors, five had a significant positive influence namely: access to credit (1.3); farm slope location (0.7); farm size (0.4); access to agricultural inputs and investment subsidies (0.4); and level of income (0.2). One factor had a significant negative influence (engagement in other economic activities/off-farm employment activities) and only one was found to be insignificant (access to market). It is recommended that the significant water conservation techniques be upscaled, and that emphasis also be placed on the most significant factors in order to strengthen the adoption of water conservation in the area.

Factors Influencing the Adoption of Water Conservation Technologies by Smallholder Farmer Households in Tanzania

In Tanzania, the increasing population coupled with climate change amplifies issues of food insecurity and negatively impacts the livelihoods of smallholder farmer households. To address these issues a range of water conservation techniques (WCTs) have been useful. However, the adoption of these WCTs in Tanzania has been limited due to many reasons. With the objective to better understand and identify the factors that significantly influence the adoption of WCTs in Tanzania, the study uses survey data from 701 smallholder farmer households and a bivariate logistic regression, to provide, for the first time, a comprehensive model for the adoption of WCTs in Tanzania that includes a range of individual, household, socio-economic, and farmer perception related variables (factors). The evaluation shows that 120 farmers (17.12%) adopted WCTs and finds the farmer perceptions of rainfall instability, household wealth, and food security to be crucial. The results suggest that policy interventions should encourage conservation behavior (especially when the rainfall is perceived to be uncertain), emphasize the economic and food security-related benefits of adopting WCTs, include strategies that make adoption of WCTs attractive to female-led households, attempt to reach greater number of farmers via social networks and provide better access to public funds for farmers.

Understanding Fundamental Phenomena Affecting the Water Conservation Technology Adoption of Residential Consumers Using Agent-Based Modeling

More than one billion people will face water scarcity within the next ten years due to climate change and unsustainable water usage, and this number is only expected to grow exponentially in the future. At current water use rates, supply-side demand management is no longer an effective way to combat water scarcity. Instead, many municipalities and water agencies are looking to demand-side solutions to prevent major water loss. While changing conservation behavior is one demand-based strategy, there is a growing movement toward the adoption of water conservation technology as a way to solve water resource depletion. Installing technology into one’s household requires additional costs and motivation, creating a gap between the overall potential households that could adopt this technology, and how many actually do. This study identified and modeled a variety of demographic and household characteristics, social network influence, and external factors such as water price and rebate policy to see their effect on residential water conservation technology adoption. Using Agent-based Modeling and data obtained from the City of Miami Beach, the coupled effects of these factors were evaluated to examine the effectiveness of different pathways towards the adoption of more water conservation technologies. The results showed that income growth and water pricing structure, more so than any of the demographic or building characteristics, impacted household adoption of water conservation technologies. The results also revealed that the effectiveness of rebate programs depends on conservation technology cost and the affluence of the community. Rebate allocation did influence expensive technology adoption, with the potential to increase the adoption rate by 50%. Additionally, social network connections were shown to have an impact on the rate of adoption independent of price strategy or rebate status. These findings will lead the way for municipalities and other water agencies to more strategically implement interventions to encourage household technology adoption based on the characteristics of their communities.

Soil Water, Plant Yield and Root Dynamics under Application of Super Absorbent Polymers (SAP) in Semi-Arid Alfisols

The Semi-arid alfisols are predominant in rainfed agriculture having very low water holding capacity and surface crusting necessitating the adoption of water conservation technologies for drought management. Laboratory experiments were conducted in loamy sand for physical characterization of super absorbent polymers. Four polymer products (P1, P2, P3 and P4) of the commercial value with different concentrations (0.25%, 0.75%, 1.25% and 1.75%) were used and compared with control (soil without polymer). Among four polymer products tested, SAP P3 showed maximum water absorption of 312 g g−1. Maximum soil moisture content of 42% and minimum of 20% was observed at field capacity (0.3 bar) and permanent wilting point (15 bar) with 1.75% SAP concentration. The experiment on water productivity with tomato was carried out with P3 having maximum water absorption at 50 and 80% moisture depletion levels and 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75% polymer concentrations in growth chambers. Significant difference (p=0.05) was observed among different polymer concentrations at 50% soil moisture depletion level. The maximum yield in tomato (2.71 kg/plant), water productivity (318.52 kg m−3), water saving (69.3%) and 90% enhanced root growth were obtained with 0.75% polymer concentration (P3) at 50% soil moisture depletion.

Challenges and Prospects of Sustainable Groundwater Management in the Indus Basin, Pakistan

In Pakistan, on-demand availability of groundwater has transformed the concept of low and uncertain crop yields into more assured crop production. Increased crop yields has resulted in food security and improved rural livelihoods. However, this growth has also led to problems of overdraft, falling water tables and degradation of groundwater quality, and yields generally remain well below potential levels. Over the last three decades, Pakistan has tried several direct and indirect management strategies for groundwater management. However the success has been limited. This paper argues that techno-institutional approaches such as introducing water rights, direct or indirect pricing and permit systems are fraught with difficulties in Pakistan due to its high population density and multitude of tiny users. Therefore there is a need to develop frameworks and management tools that are best suited to Pakistani needs. Pakistan should follow both supply and demand management approaches. For demand management, adoption of water conservation technologies, revision of existing cropping patterns and exploration of alternate water resources should be encouraged. For supply management, implementation of the groundwater regulatory frameworks developed by Provincial Irrigation and Drainage Authorities (PIDAs) and introduction of institutional reforms to enhance effective coordination between different organizations responsible for the management of groundwater resources should be given priority.

Socio-economic reasons for the low adoption of water conservation technologies by smallholder farmers in southern Africa: a review of the literature

Natural resource degradation and water scarcity, which threaten the sustainability of smallholder farmers' livelihoods in semi-arid developing areas, are a global concern. Although researchers have developed water-conservation technologies (WCTs), adoption rates by smallholder farmers have been low. This article compares the perspectives of researchers and smallholder farmers, highlights the discrepancies which explain the farmers' low uptake of technologies and addresses the socio-economic factors affecting adoption. It argues that WCTs are diverse and applicable to different time and spatial scales and hence dependent upon context. These traits influence the dissemination and adoption of WCTs, and should not be ignored, from the early stage of technology development. It explains that adoption depends not only on individual farmers' willingness but also on property rights to resources and collective community action. The article discusses the demand for WCTs, the role of the public sector and research and related biases, and makes recommendations for achieving more sustainable rural livelihoods. Recent experiences in South Africa show that encouraging farmers to participate in technology development, taking account of local indigenous knowledge and making sound institutional arrangements are some ways to foster better integration of technology and innovation.