Abstract

Introduction: Given the growing crisis of water resource constraints, the proper management of water resources is inevitable to increase water use efficiency, especially in the agriculture sector which has the highest water consumption (Perez-Blanco and Gomez, 2014). In fact, water resource management considers the main core of strategies to conserve water resources (Hu et al., 2014). Due to the importance of the issue, various studies have been done in this respect such as Shahsavari (2014), Nori et al. (2014), Amirkhani et al. (2011), Mohammadi et al. (2009), Rezadoost and Allahyari (2014), Kulmatov (2014), Khalili (2012) and Panahi and Malekmohammadi (2010). Accordingly, the purpose of this research was to study the factors affecting the implementation of actions related to sustainable management of water resources among farmers in the Komijan County, Markazi Province. Materials and methods: The statistical population of the research consisted of all agricultural households in the rural areas of the Komijan County, of which a sample size of 300 was selected using multiple stage sampling technique. Data collected using a research-made questionnaire. Content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by a panel of experts. Construct validity and reliability of the research instrument were confirmed through examining of model fit in three levels of the measurement model, structural model and overall model. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) multivariate technique (Partial Least Squares) was used to analyze data and for this purpose, SPSS and Smart PLS softwares were applied. Results and discussion: In this study, after confirming the fit of the measurement model, research structural model was fitted based on two indices, R² (representing the effect of exogenous latent variables on endogenous) and Q² (indicating the predictive power of the model). The results indicated that the values of the two indexes R² and Q² were at appropriate levels for second order endogenous latent variable (i.e. implementation of actions related to sustainable water resources management) as well as five first order endogenous latent variables (i.e. technical actions, farming actions, technological actions, control actions and reconstruction actions) and therefore, the structural model had a suitable fit. Accordingly, the research hypotheses were tested based on the model. The results of descriptive statistics showed that mean age and farming experience of the farmers surveyed were at high levels (54.21 and 28.9 years, respectively) and on the contrary, their educational level was at low level (81.7 percent less than diploma). The main water resources of the farmers were semi-deep well, aqueduct and deep wells with a frequency of 43, 28.3 and 21 percent, respectively, and 7.6 percent of them used a combination of aqueduct with at least one other resource. The majority of farmers (89.3 percent) used the flood irrigation system and a small number of farmers used new irrigation methods. The results showed that the majority of farmers (90.4 percent) implemented the actions related to sustainable management of water resources at medium and low levels. The results also revealed that variables of extension related factors (p-value=0.01, β=0.203), educational factors (p-value=0.01, β=0.229), participatory factors (p-value=0.01, β=0.223) and supportive factors (p-value=0.01, β=0.220) had a positive and significant effect on the dependent variable. In general, these four variables explained about 41.1 percent of variances of implementation of actions related to sustainable management of water resources among farmers. Conclusion: According to the results, it could be noted that sustainable management of agricultural water resources requires a multifaceted approach and it consists of a series of technical actions, farming actions, technological actions, control actions and reconstruction actions. One-dimensional look and lack of systematic approach can significantly lead to reducing the effectiveness of agricultural water resource management programs.