Abstract
The agricultural sector of Maku city in West Azerbaijan province of Iran heavily depends on the natural potential and capacities of water resources. The main purpose of this paper is to study water resources limitations and their effect on the socioeconomic status of wheat farmers in the studied area. In this survey, required data have been collected via a questionnaire from 150 wheat farmers. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed through Cronbach Alpha (α > 0.82) and the data was analyzed using the factor analysis technique by SPSS software. Based on the results of this study, the limitations of water resources are summarized into four factors: atmospheric and natural conditions (23.33 %), pattern of water resources utilization (17.85 %), challenges of water resources management (14.74 %) and pattern of land utilization (11.88 %). Altogether, these four factors account for 67.53 % of the total variance of water resources limitations in Maku city. The effects of water resources limitations on the socioeconomic status of wheat farmers in this city are also summarized into three factors: economic effects (31.13 %), social effects (22.19 %) and environmental effects (14.89 %), accounting for 68.20 % of the total variance of the effects of water resources limitations on the conditions of the studied local wheat farmers.
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Notes
- 1.
West Azerbaijan Province is in the northwest of Iran. Maku is a city in this province.
- 2.
The Likert scale is commonly used as a standard scale to measure responses. Using this scale, respondents indicate their level of agreement or disagreement on a symmetric agree-disagree scale for a series of statements.
- 3.
Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin or KMO measures the appropriateness of data for factor analysis. If the calculated value for KMO is more than 0.7, data are quite appropriate for factor analysis. If this value is less than 0.5, data are not suitable for factor analysis. In any situation where KMO is between 0.5 and 0.7, the results of factor analysis should be interpreted carefully.
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The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers who gave valuable suggestions that have helped to improve the quality of this paper.
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Appendix
Appendix
Since this study was done in a small city in Iran, the survey questionnaire was prepared in the Persian language. However, the statements used to measure water sources limitations and their effects have been translated into English and are presented here.
Extent to which you agree with the following statements:
Limitation | Statements | Strongly agree | Agree | Neutral | Disagree | Strongly disagree |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Natural limitations | 1. Precipitation has been reduced significantly in recent years in my area | |||||
2. Surface water sources have been reduced significantly in recent years in my area | ||||||
3. Rivers drought can restrict our access to water sources significantly | ||||||
4. Surface water sources are wasted due to the sharp slope of the lands | ||||||
5. There is a lack of the availability of sufficient water sources in the region | ||||||
6. There is a very low availability of surface water sources | ||||||
7. Springs and subterranean droughts can restrict our access to water sources significantly | ||||||
8. Rivers have many meanders, leading to waste water | ||||||
9. Insufficient distribution of precipitation over time is one of the major problems in my area | ||||||
10. There is a significant leakage from the surface of creeks | ||||||
11. My area has a continuous trend of drought | ||||||
12. A significant amount of water sources is used up by the surrounding weeds | ||||||
Structural limitations | 1. The type of the water resources ownership affects our access to water sources | |||||
2. Irrigation methods are inefficient in my area | ||||||
3. The type of utilization system affects our access to water sources | ||||||
4. Water sources are wasted during water transmission from the source to the farm | ||||||
5. The irrigation methods are very old and traditional in my area | ||||||
6. There is an over usage of the water sources in my area | ||||||
7. Lands are highly fragmented in my area, leading to the waste of water sources | ||||||
8. The utilization system of agricultural lands is traditional in my area | ||||||
9. Cultivation is very low mechanized in my area | ||||||
10. Surface water sources are contaminated with rubbish in my area | ||||||
11. There is a long distance from water sources to farms | ||||||
Managerial limitations | 1. Water is being exported from my region | |||||
2. The ownership of springs is unknown | ||||||
3. Management of agricultural water sources is dealt with by different organizations | ||||||
4. There is conflict between farmers regarding the water distribution in my area | ||||||
5. There is a lack of sufficient associations for water sources in my area | ||||||
6. There is no management of the surface waters in my area | ||||||
7. Responsible bodies do not develop new irrigation methods in my area | ||||||
8. Irrigation efficiency is low in my area | ||||||
9. There is an excessive usage of water sources by farmers in my area | ||||||
10. Livestock pass through water sources, which highly pollutes the water | ||||||
11. Water piping costs are high | ||||||
12. Local people use water sources for non-agricultural purposes | ||||||
13. There is a poor drainage system in my area |
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Salimzadeh, P., Kalantari, K. (2015). Agricultural Water Resources Limitations and Their Effects on the Socioeconomic Conditions of Wheat Farmers: A Case Study of Maku City in Iran. In: Hipel, K., Fang, L., Cullmann, J., Bristow, M. (eds) Conflict Resolution in Water Resources and Environmental Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14215-9_15
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