What determines irrigation efficiency when farmers face extreme weather events? A field survey of the major wheat producing regions in China

Autor: Chun-xiao SONG, Les Oxley, Heng-yun MA
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2018
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Integrative Agriculture, Vol 17, Iss 8, Pp 1888-1899 (2018)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2095-3119
DOI: 10.1016/S2095-3119(18)62006-4
Popis: Water availability is a major constraint on grain production in China, therefore, improving irrigation efficiency is particularly important when agriculture faces extreme weather events. This paper first calculates irrigation efficiency with a translog stochastic frontier production function and then investigates what happens when extreme weather events occur via a Tobit model. The estimated results reveal several important features of irrigation practices: i) irrigation efficiency is lower when extreme weather events occur; ii) large variations in irrigation efficiency occur across irrigation facilities; iii) the farm plots exhibit an extreme distribution across efficiency levels; and iv) water-saving techniques, technology adoption, and the maintenance of farmers’ economic resilience are major determinants of irrigation efficiency. Based on these results we propose the following recommendations: i) farmers should balance crop yield and water use; undertake relevant training programs and adopt water-saving techniques; ii) local governments and researchers should help farmers to find the optimal level of irrigation water use based on their own circumstances and provide better water-saving techniques and training programs rather than simply encouraging farmers to invest in irrigation facilities in the most extreme weather years; and iii) the income level of farm households should be increased so as to improve their resilience to natural disasters.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals