Perceptions and Acceptance of Desalinated Seawater for Irrigation: A Case Study in the Níjar District (Southeast Spain)
In the context of increasing demand for irrigation water—but, at the same time, with the constraints in the supply from traditional resources—desalinated seawater has been recognized as one of the alternative sources of water to increase the supply for agricultural irrigation. However, its use among...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI
2020
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10835/7341 |
| _version_ | 1789406304844906496 |
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| author | Aznar Sánchez, José Ángel Belmonte Ureña, Luis Jesús Valera Martínez, Diego Luis |
| author_facet | Aznar Sánchez, José Ángel Belmonte Ureña, Luis Jesús Valera Martínez, Diego Luis |
| author_sort | Aznar Sánchez, José Ángel |
| collection | DSpace |
| description | In the context of increasing demand for irrigation water—but, at the same time, with the constraints in the supply from traditional resources—desalinated seawater has been recognized as one of the alternative sources of water to increase the supply for agricultural irrigation. However, its use among farmers has not yet started to expand. Policy makers need to understand what is causing the low acceptance levels of farmers, and how their attitudes could be improved. This is the first study that has conducted an analysis of farmers’ perceptions and acceptance of the use of desalinated seawater for irrigation. The study is based on collected data from a survey completed by farmers in southeastern Spain who do not use desalinated seawater. The main results indicate that desalinated seawater as a water supply source has the lowest acceptance level for farmers. Barriers for its use are price, the need for additional fertilization, and the perception that it would negatively affect the yield and crop quality. The farmers’ general level of knowledge about the impact of using desalinated seawater in agriculture is extremely low. Furthermore, farmers consider it a priority that their startup investment should be subsidized and that water prices should be reduced. Based on the study findings, this paper makes recommendations for the decision-making process in order to improve farmers’ acceptance levels. |
| format | info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
| id | oai:repositorio.ual.es:10835-7341 |
| institution | Universidad de Cuenca |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | MDPI |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oai:repositorio.ual.es:10835-73412024-01-17T07:23:46Z Perceptions and Acceptance of Desalinated Seawater for Irrigation: A Case Study in the Níjar District (Southeast Spain) Aznar Sánchez, José Ángel Belmonte Ureña, Luis Jesús Valera Martínez, Diego Luis water policy community acceptance community perceptions assessment survey desalinated seawater agriculture irrigation In the context of increasing demand for irrigation water—but, at the same time, with the constraints in the supply from traditional resources—desalinated seawater has been recognized as one of the alternative sources of water to increase the supply for agricultural irrigation. However, its use among farmers has not yet started to expand. Policy makers need to understand what is causing the low acceptance levels of farmers, and how their attitudes could be improved. This is the first study that has conducted an analysis of farmers’ perceptions and acceptance of the use of desalinated seawater for irrigation. The study is based on collected data from a survey completed by farmers in southeastern Spain who do not use desalinated seawater. The main results indicate that desalinated seawater as a water supply source has the lowest acceptance level for farmers. Barriers for its use are price, the need for additional fertilization, and the perception that it would negatively affect the yield and crop quality. The farmers’ general level of knowledge about the impact of using desalinated seawater in agriculture is extremely low. Furthermore, farmers consider it a priority that their startup investment should be subsidized and that water prices should be reduced. Based on the study findings, this paper makes recommendations for the decision-making process in order to improve farmers’ acceptance levels. 2020-01-16T09:17:50Z 2020-01-16T09:17:50Z 2017-06-08 info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2073-4441 http://hdl.handle.net/10835/7341 en https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/9/6/408 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internacional http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess MDPI |
| spellingShingle | water policy community acceptance community perceptions assessment survey desalinated seawater agriculture irrigation Aznar Sánchez, José Ángel Belmonte Ureña, Luis Jesús Valera Martínez, Diego Luis Perceptions and Acceptance of Desalinated Seawater for Irrigation: A Case Study in the Níjar District (Southeast Spain) |
| title | Perceptions and Acceptance of Desalinated Seawater for Irrigation: A Case Study in the Níjar District (Southeast Spain) |
| title_full | Perceptions and Acceptance of Desalinated Seawater for Irrigation: A Case Study in the Níjar District (Southeast Spain) |
| title_fullStr | Perceptions and Acceptance of Desalinated Seawater for Irrigation: A Case Study in the Níjar District (Southeast Spain) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Perceptions and Acceptance of Desalinated Seawater for Irrigation: A Case Study in the Níjar District (Southeast Spain) |
| title_short | Perceptions and Acceptance of Desalinated Seawater for Irrigation: A Case Study in the Níjar District (Southeast Spain) |
| title_sort | perceptions and acceptance of desalinated seawater for irrigation: a case study in the níjar district (southeast spain) |
| topic | water policy community acceptance community perceptions assessment survey desalinated seawater agriculture irrigation |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10835/7341 |
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