Analysis of Factors that Influence the Willingness to Pay for Irrigation Water in the Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraq

Rezhen Harun, Iulia C. Muresan, Felix H. Arion, Diana E. Dumitras and Ramona Lile
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Rezhen Harun: Department of Agricultural Extension, Faculty of Agriculture Sciences, University of Sulaimani, Kurdistan Regional Government-Iraq, Sulaimani-Bakrajo 5001, Iraq
Iulia C. Muresan: Department of Economic Sciences, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary, Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Manastur Street, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Felix H. Arion: Department of Economic Sciences, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary, Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Manastur Street, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Diana E. Dumitras: Department of Economic Sciences, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary, Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Manastur Street, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Ramona Lile: Department of Economics, Faculty of Economic Sciences, "Aurel Vlaicu" University of Arad, 77 Bdul. Revolutiei, 310 130 Arad, Romania

Sustainability, 2015, vol. 7, issue 7, 1-13

Abstract: Water availability has become a problem in many countries of the world. Water scarcity can be economic or physical. Agricultural water use accounts for about three quarters of total global consumption; in many developing countries, irrigation represents over 90% of the water used. The purpose of this paper is to explore the willingness to pay for irrigation water among the farmers from the boundaries governed by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). During the field study, 236 farmers from KRG were interviewed. The collected data were analyzed for each of the precipitation zones of the area (secured (A) and non-secured rainfed (B)). The contingent valuation method was used to determine the willingness to pay for irrigation water. The following possible independent variables influencing farmers’ decisions were considered: the bid amounts; evaluation scale of the water deficit; source of water for irrigation; cultivated area; education and age of respondents; main agricultural activity. In Zone A, the median willingness to pay of the farmers that used ground water for irrigation is 20.28 USD/10 m 3 , and for the farmers that use other sources of water, the willingness to pay is 11.49 USD/10 m 3 . The median willingness to pay in Zone B is 18.56/10 m 3 .

Keywords: contingent valuation method; total economic value; Kurdistan; probit model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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