Analysis of Factors Affecting the Optimal Management of Agricultural Water Resources (Case Study: Hassan Abad District, West Islamabad County)

The reduction of water resources and their inefficient use has had a major impact on the rural economy and the agricultural sector. For this reason, attention to agricultural water management has become a central issue. Therefore, in the present study, an attempt has been made to investigate the factors affecting the optimal management of agricultural water resources in Islamabad West County in Kermanshah province. This research is applied in terms of purpose and is descriptive-analytical analysis. The statistical population consists of heads of agricultural land-exploiting households. The sample size was estimated to be 337 people using Cochran's formula, and Smart PLS software was used to analyze the issue. The analysis of the findings shows that the highest factor loading was estimated for the indicators of increasing the productivity of agricultural products (0.729), water collection and storage pool (0.743), and protection of water resources (0.734). The average Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.801, and composite reliability was evaluated at 0.852. The highest value of t (17.530) in the structural model between variables is related to economic and technical variables. The values obtained for the seven main factors indicate that the structural model of the research has a suitable and acceptable fit and predicts the indicators related to the exogenous structures of the model. The results show that the correct management and increase of water productivity require using a set of economic, technical, educational factors, etc., with the cooperation of people, institutions, and reforms in the structure of laws. Therefore, to improve the condition of the studied villages, the correct exploitation and increase of water efficiency from both quantitative and qualitative dimensions are the limiting factors in increasing agricultural production. Therefore, considering that the agricultural sector, which is the largest consumer of water resources, in the future must compete with other sectors in the field of water consumption and adapt to climate change.
 
Extended Abstract
1-Introduction
Management of supply and development of water resources as an effective and dynamic factor in the direction of planning, policymaking, and providing the necessary facilities for the use of water resources that was formed years ago and focused attention on the development of water resources and political, environmental, organizational, and legal issues. Knowing the factors influencing the management of water resources is an important factor in its excellent planning. Hassan Abad village in Islamabad Gharb city is considered one of the agricultural centers of the county, and the livelihood and activity of its residents depend on farming activities. Water restrictions and drought in recent years have caused the decline of underground water and other water sources. On the other hand, the lack of a proper control system for the optimal use of water has caused competitive behavior in the use of water resources. Considering that agriculture is a basic activity that is highly dependent on water resources, the current research has investigated the factors affecting agricultural water management in this village.
 
2-Materials and Methods
The dominant approach to leading quantitative research in terms of practical purpose, and is based on a descriptive-analytical nature. The statistical population of the research is 21 villages with a population of over 50 people in Hassan Abad district, located in Islamabad Gharb County. The population of this village is estimated to be 8783 people, and the heads of its households are 2471 people. The sample size was calculated based on the number of household heads among 337 people. The distribution of the number of samples in the villages was proportional to their population. The sample selection method was also done randomly in each village. To achieve the goal of the research, a questionnaire was prepared in the form of seven indicators and 58 indicators. Smart PLS software was used to analyze the issues and findings from the questionnaire. In this research, t and q were used for the measurement model of factor loadings and the structural model. To check validity, diagnostic validity (AVE) was used.
 
3- Results and Discussion
The results after running the measurement model twice showed that, out of a total of 58 factors, 55 factors in the form of seven indicators have a factor load greater than 0.5. In the economic index, the highest factor load is related to increasing the productivity of agricultural products, with a factor load of 0.729. Regarding the social index, the highest factor load related to the two factors of coordination between government organizations and popular organizations in water management and water resource security was estimated with a factor load of 0.687. Examining the fit of the structural model showed, that the t-value obtained for all obvious and hidden variables is greater than 1.96. The highest value of t was estimated at 17.530 in the structural model between the variables related to the economic and technical paths. The significance level of all paths was estimated to be less than 0.05. Also, the results of the structural model of the research have a suitable and acceptable fit. Because the value of Q2 for the seven indicators of the case is greater than the intensity of the determined values of 0.02, 0.15, and 0.35.
 
4- Conclusion
The investigation of economic factors effective in agricultural water management shows that economic considerations can act as an incentive and have a fundamental role in the effective use of resources by the farmer. The results also showed that the average factor loadings of the economic index, with a value of 0.694, had a higher value than other indicators. On the other hand, the investigation of social factors plays an important role in drawing the culture of villagers' consumption patterns because it involves forming people's groups and informing farmers about optimal consumption, new methods of irrigation, participation in the management of water resources, and... in addition to saving and reducing costs, it also follows optimal management. Revising the structure of water management, creating a culture of optimal and correct water consumption, and empowering people to reduce irrigation costs are factors that lead to practical and optimal management of water resources. On the other hand, developing a suitable cultivation model based on the management of agricultural water demand leads to agriculture being transformed from a traditional mode to a modern one with higher efficiency, ultimately increasing economic profit. Therefore a one-dimensional view and not having a systematic approach to considering all the components examined in the research can concretely lead to a decrease in the effectiveness of agricultural water management programs. Also, it is necessary to use efficient, economical, and environmentally acceptable methods for its optimization. To achieve this, first of all, public mobilization should be formed through the integrated management of agricultural water resources, and in line with this, suitable support, legal, and management mechanisms should be established.