ارزیابی و تحلیل وضعیت حکمروایی منابع آب کشاورزی در مناطق روستایی شهرستان خوی

Introduction

Water serves as an essential resource for sustaining ecosystem functions and is a cornerstone of human survival and societal needs. Challenges related to water resources exert profound influences across multiple domains, including public health, food security, energy production, economic stability, and ecosystem integrity. Escalating global population growth, evolving consumption patterns, and rapid urban expansion have intensified water demand, while supply constraints—exacerbated by factors such as climate change, pollution, and overexploitation—pose significant risks to long-term availability and quality. In regions with constrained agricultural water resources and heavy rural reliance on them, robust water governance is critical for achieving sustainable development. Water demand management in arid and semi-arid regions, including Iran, is paramount for achieving sustainable agricultural development amid recurrent droughts and escalating water scarcity.

In Khoy County, characterized by a substantial rural population, extensive cultivated land, and production of water-intensive crops, approximately 90% of available surface and groundwater resources are allocated to agriculture. Escalating demand, coupled with unchecked well drilling, culminated in the designation of the region as a "prohibited plain" in 2023 year, prompting governmental interventions such as dam and canal construction by the Regional Water Organization. Although intended to equitably distribute water among farmers and curtail unauthorized institutional interference, these measures inadvertently expanded cultivated areas, amplified pressure on groundwater aquifers, and precipitated social tensions, including inter-villager disputes, farmer dissatisfaction, and broader regional conflicts. These outcomes underscore deficiencies in participatory governance, where relevant stakeholders are insufficiently involved in water resource decision-making and policy formulation, often overlooking environmental ramifications. Given the pivotal role of water in agricultural sustainability and rural livelihoods in Khoy County, alongside farmers' central position in optimizing these finite resources, a comprehensive assessment of water governance in the county's rural areas is imperative.

Methodology

This study is applied and descriptive-analytical, focusing on evaluating agricultural water resources governance in Khoy County, Iran. The population comprised agricultural operators (farmers) in the county's farming and horticultural sectors, totaly 28,767 individuals according to data from the General Directorate of Agricultural Jihad. Data collection integrated library and field methods to comprehensively assess governance status. Thirty scientific sources informed this identification and review process. To validate the descriptors derived from library studies, content validity was assessed through consultations with 20 experts and specialists in geography and rural planning from universities across Iran, who reviewed and refined the indicators for relevance and applicability. For the field component, a stratified random sampling strategy was employed to select respondents from the farmer population. Sample size was determined using Cochran's formula, yielding an initial estimate of 386 participants at a 95% confidence level. To ensure adequate representation in smaller villages (where the computed sample was under 10), this was adjusted upward to a minimum of 10 per village, resulting in a final sample of 400 farmers.

The primary data collection instrument was a structured questionnaire based on a five-point Likert Scale (ranging from "very low" to "very high") to gauge perceptions of governance indicators. Questionnaire reliability was evaluated via a pilot test involving 30 farmers from the study area, yielding a Cronbach's alpha of 0.897, which confirms high internal consistency and suitability for measuring the constructs. Data analysis proceeded in two stages: a one-sample t-test assessed the mean scores of individual indicators against a neutral midpoint (3.0 on the Likert scale) to determine governance strengths and deficiencies; subsequently, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) compared mean differences across governance components, enabling identification of disparities in areas such as participation and accountability. These analytical methods facilitate robust inference on governance efficacy, supporting recommendations for enhanced stakeholder involvement and policy reforms to mitigate water scarcity impacts on agricultural sustainability.

Findings

Findings revealed relatively favorable conditions for 'collective agreement' (M = 1.736) and 'rule of law' (M = 0.953), but substantial weaknesses in 'capacity building' (M = 0.269) and 'economic policymaking' (M = 0.049). One-way ANOVA indicated significant variations across villages in 'participation' (F-statistic implied by variance = 541.63) and 'economic policymaking' (variance = 397.5; p < 0.05). Village-level means ranked 'Azab' (1.114) and 'Bakhtiaran' (0.964) highest, and 'Raviyan' (0.306) and 'Tarimish' (0.331) lowest, with standard errors below the 0.05 significance threshold, confirming statistical significance.

Discussion and Conclusion

A comparative analysis of the findings from this study with prior research reveals that, across various regions, key governance components—such as the rule of law, stakeholder participation, equity and justice, policy formulation, and accountability—exert the most substantial influence on effective water resources governance. In contrast, indicators related to transparency, financial mechanisms, capacity building, and operational efficiency appear to have a comparatively lesser impact. This convergence between the present study's results and those from earlier investigations enhances the robustness and validity of the findings, underscoring the imperative for ongoing review and reform of prevailing policies and institutional frameworks in water resources management.

The primary distinction between this study and antecedent works lies in the nuanced quantification and prioritization of these indicators' impacts, derived from localized data and region-specific statistical modeling. Notably, this analysis accentuates the pivotal role of localized and participatory strategies in fostering sustainable management of agricultural water resources. It advocates that policymakers and resource managers eschew generalized, one-size-fits-all policies in favor of tailored interventions attuned to contextual specificities. Consequently, the establishment of an adaptive, participatory governance architecture—capable of enabling seamless collaboration among water users, local institutions, and decision-makers—emerges as indispensable for the enhancement and conservation of agricultural water resources in the rural locales of Khoy County. Furthermore, without the fortification of robust local institutions, the amplification of user engagement, and the formulation of enduring, adaptable, and pragmatic policies, sustainable water resources management in Khoy County's rural areas remains unattainable. To this end, it is recommended that policymakers and managers prioritize governance reforms alongside technical and informational enhancements. Specifically, they should adopt a participatory, region-centric orientation to overhaul water resources governance mechanisms, while devising and enacting actionable, evidence-based policies to ameliorate the prevailing conditions.