Farmers' preferences on water allocation criteria : a multi-criteria approach in water allocation

Abstract

Water allocation based on multiple criteria (attributes) has the potential to maximize the possible benefits to be gained from the use of a unit amount of this scarce commodity. However most multi criteria methods inherently include a considerable degree of subjectivity. In this study, opinions on the importance of a number of water allocation criteria were sought from a large number of irrigation farmers. The opinion survey data were analysed using the traditional conjoint analysis method which is widely used to analyse marketing surveys. The analysis allowed objective determination of the relative importance of five water allocation attributes (for example, net farm income, percent of family working on the farm, amount paid to irrigation agency for canal water share). Part-worths (utilities) for attribute levels were also estimated from the preferences for the five water allocation attributes obtained in face-to-face interviews. The survey was completed in selected parts of Sanghar and Shaheed Benazir Abad districts (Lower Indus River of Pakistan). The conjoint survey results revealed that the respondents prefer that ‘annual net farm income’ be the most important attribute in water allocation decisions. ‘Groundwater quality beneath the farm’ was the second most important attribute of water allocation. As would be expected the vast majority of the respondents overwhelmingly placed the ‘water price’ charged by the local irrigation agency in the last position.