AUTHOR=Tang Hong , Yang Zhongjian , Guo Zepeng , Yang Chuan , Huang Feng , Ran Ruiping 

TITLE=The willingness to pay for agricultural irrigation water and the influencing factors in the Dujiangyan irrigation area: An empirical double-hurdle model analysis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Environmental Science

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-science/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.906400

DOI=10.3389/fenvs.2022.906400

ISSN=2296-665X

ABSTRACT=Factors such as global climate change and population growth have led to an increasingly serious global water crisis. As an efficient means of water resource allocation and management, water price plays a significant role in alleviating the water crisis. However, the existing water pricing policies fail to maximize the economic value and social benefits of water resources. Based on the principle of fairness and efficiency, taking the affordability of water users into account, the establishment of a scientific and reasonable water price mechanism is conducive to giving full play to the effect of water price on optimal allocation of water resources. Taking Dujiangyan Irrigation Area in Sichuan Province as an example, this paper analyzes the willingness to pay for agricultural irrigation water price and its influencing factors through a field survey of 335 agricultural water users in three counties (cities) in the irrigation area by Double-hurdle Model. The results show that: 1) Arable land area, water fee charging method, the proportion of water fee, and water-saving awareness have a positive impact on farmers' willingness to participate in the payment for agricultural water, and whether the family members have village cadres or other managers, the current water price standard, and cognition of the current water price standard have a negative impact on it; 2) In terms of willingness to price, age, education level, migrant work experience, and the current water price standard have a positive impact on it, the regional type, he proportion of water fee, and cognition of the current water price standard have a negative impact on it. Therefore, this paper puts forward some countermeasures and suggestions, such as strengthening the awareness and skills training of farmers to promote farmers' participation in agricultural water payment, strengthening the agricultural water compensation mechanism to give full play to the adjustment function of water price, and formulating a differentiated water price system based on farmers' affordability.