An assessment of the role of ponds in the adoption of water-saving irrigation practices in the Zhanghe Irrigation System, China

The main purpose of the study was to determine the impact of ponds on the adoption of water-saving irrigation (WSI) practices. We hypothesized that access to ponds would increase the likelihood of practicing alternate wetting and drying (AWD). While it seems reasonable that the ability to access pond water would reduce the risk involved in letting the paddy dry temporarily, and thus encourage adoption of AWD, we can find no solid empirical evidence to support the proposition. The result showed that adoption of AWD is not driven by farmer desire but rather imposed on them due to increasing water scarcity. Furthermore, we found that farmers who were more reliant on pond irrigation were less likely to adopt AWD – the ponds were used to avoid soil drying. Because of the numerous benefits, it is assumed that pond water sources will continue to play an important role in sustaining crop production.