Village and Space Sustainable Development

Village and Space Sustainable Development

Navigating Water Scarcity in Overexploited Aquifers: An Empirical Assessment of Agricultural Water Governance in Khoy County

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Zeynab Feyzollahi 1
Mohsen Aghayari Hir 2
Aboulghasem Taghizadfanid 2
Mohammad Reza Shahbazbegian 3
1 Ph.D. Candidate Geography and Rural Planning, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.
2 Associate Prof., Department of Geography and Rural Planning, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.
3 Associate Prof., Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22077/vssd.2025.10478.1344
Abstract
1. Introduction
Water functions as the foundational matrix for biophysical ecosystem dynamics and constitutes an indispensable pillar of socio-economic viability, public health, energy security, and agrarian sustainability. Anthropogenic climate change, rapid demographic expansion, and intensifying consumption paradigms have exacerbated structural water deficits across arid and semi-arid regions globally. In Iran, where agricultural water demand overwhelmingly dictates national consumption trajectories, the efficacy of water resource governance is the primary determinant of rural livelihood stability and food security. In Khoy County, northwestern Iran, the rural economy is heavily reliant on irrigated agriculture and the widespread cultivation of water-intensive crops, consuming approximately 90% of available surface and groundwater resources. Unregulated groundwater abstraction and proliferation of unauthorized deep wells prompted the state to officially designate the aquifer as a “prohibited plain” in 2023. In response, regional hydraulic authorities implemented centralized engineering-driven interventions, including dam construction and primary distribution canals. Although intended to curb illegal abstractions and rationalize allocation, these top-down supply-side measures inadvertently spurred cultivated land expansion, accelerated aquifer drawdown, and heightened socio-ecological tensions—culminating in inter-village water disputes, farmer dissatisfaction, and spatial fragmentation. These pathological outcomes reflect deep-seated deficiencies in participatory governance, characterized by the marginalization of local farming communities from institutional decision-making and a pervasive disregard for localized ecological carrying capacities. Given that farmers are the frontline managers of finite water endowments, an empirical, multidimensional assessment of agricultural water governance in Khoy County is an urgent scientific and policy imperative.

2. Methodology
This study implemented an applied, descriptive-analytical, and cross-sectional survey design to evaluate agricultural water governance dimensions across rural settlements in Khoy County. The target statistical population comprised all active farming and horticultural operators within the county (N=28,767) based on official registries from the General Directorate of Agricultural Jihad. A dual data-acquisition protocol combining systematic literature synthesis and empirical fieldwork was utilized. Governance indicators derived from 30 foundational scholarly sources were critically evaluated and refined for content and contextual validity through an expert Delphi panel comprising 20 prominent Iranian specialists in geography, hydrology, and rural planning. For the empirical survey, a representative sample size was initially calculated using Cochran’s formula (n=386, at a 95% confidence level) and subsequently adjusted upward to N=400 via a multi-stage stratified random sampling framework to guarantee a minimum threshold (n≥10) in smaller rural settlements. Primary empirical data were elicited using a structured five-point Likert-type questionnaire measuring multidimensional governance dimensions. The measurement instrument demonstrated exemplary internal consistency during pilot testing (n=30), yielding an aggregate Cronbach’s alpha of α=0.897. Statistical analyses were executed in SPSS through a two-tiered inferential approach: one-sample t-tests assessed mean empirical scores against the theoretical normative midpoint (M=3.0), while one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and spatial variance diagnostics delineated institutional disparities and structural inequalities across distinct rural communities.

3. 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.

4. Discussion and Conclusion
A comparative contextualization of these results corroborates mainstream international water governance literature: fundamental components such as the rule of law, stakeholder engagement, equity, policy coherence, and institutional accountability represent the principal pillars of sustainable resource management, whereas technical efficiency and bureaucratic mandates remain ineffective in the absence of institutional trust. The distinct contribution of this empirical inquiry lies in the granular quantification and spatial mapping of these institutional fault lines within an over-exploited Iranian plain. The findings demonstrate that top-down engineering panaceas (dams and concrete canals) fail to resolve water scarcity and instead provoke socio-ecological conflicts when decoupled from participatory mechanisms. Sustainable water management in Khoy County is unattainable without transitioning from centralized technocratic hydro-hegemony to an adaptive, polycentric, and bottom-up governance architecture. Policymakers and regional water authorities must abandon uniform, “one-size-fits-all” directives in favor of place-based interventions that formalize local water user associations (WUAs), enhance institutional transparency, build local adaptive capacities, and integrate traditional agrarian water rights into formal regulatory decision-making frameworks. By embedding economic policymaking and participatory stewardship within local communities, regional governance can defuse socio-spatial tensions, mitigate aquifer depletion, and foster socio-ecological resilience in vulnerable rural landscapes.
Keywords
Agricultural water resources governance
village
governance indicators
statistical analysis
Khoy County
Subjects
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  • Receive Date 16 November 2025
  • Revise Date 10 December 2025
  • Accept Date 23 December 2025
  • Publish Date 22 June 2026