Pub Date : 2022-02-25DOI: 10.1142/s2382624x2171003x
S. Balasubramanya, U. Lele
Policymakers in Sub-Saharan Africa have placed considerable emphasis on expanding irrigated agriculture. This is in response to the subcontinent’s growing population pressure, coupled with production risks associated with declining and variable rainfall. Irrigation is viewed as an important strategy to improve food security and protect rural livelihoods, with small-scale irrigation identified as the preferred strategy. And yet, adoption of irrigation has been slow, and irrigation investments are often underutilized. Expanding irrigated agriculture through increases in cultivated area alone will not be sufficient for greater food security; land and water productivity of irrigated agriculture needs to be increased, and this may in fact help accelerate the adoption of irrigation. Shared irrigation investments among small farmers are going to be challenging to sustain as smallholder households diversify their livelihoods, and do not cultivate field crops every season. For individual irrigation technologies, many barriers exist in their adoption, especially the risks and ambiguities such as pestilence and borehole installation failures; and governments will have to invest significantly more than they currently do in research and extension efforts to ease these barriers. Finally, the expansion of irrigation, especially individual irrigation, will likely create environmental challenges such as aquifer depletion, water pollution, and soil degradation, which governments would also have to manage by coordinating the actions of individual smallholders. This paper identifies the kind of institutional infrastructure and policy support that African agriculture will need to have in place to expand irrigation beyond its current status.
{"title":"Policy Note: Expanding Irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa","authors":"S. Balasubramanya, U. Lele","doi":"10.1142/s2382624x2171003x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/s2382624x2171003x","url":null,"abstract":"Policymakers in Sub-Saharan Africa have placed considerable emphasis on expanding irrigated agriculture. This is in response to the subcontinent’s growing population pressure, coupled with production risks associated with declining and variable rainfall. Irrigation is viewed as an important strategy to improve food security and protect rural livelihoods, with small-scale irrigation identified as the preferred strategy. And yet, adoption of irrigation has been slow, and irrigation investments are often underutilized. Expanding irrigated agriculture through increases in cultivated area alone will not be sufficient for greater food security; land and water productivity of irrigated agriculture needs to be increased, and this may in fact help accelerate the adoption of irrigation. Shared irrigation investments among small farmers are going to be challenging to sustain as smallholder households diversify their livelihoods, and do not cultivate field crops every season. For individual irrigation technologies, many barriers exist in their adoption, especially the risks and ambiguities such as pestilence and borehole installation failures; and governments will have to invest significantly more than they currently do in research and extension efforts to ease these barriers. Finally, the expansion of irrigation, especially individual irrigation, will likely create environmental challenges such as aquifer depletion, water pollution, and soil degradation, which governments would also have to manage by coordinating the actions of individual smallholders. This paper identifies the kind of institutional infrastructure and policy support that African agriculture will need to have in place to expand irrigation beyond its current status.","PeriodicalId":48492,"journal":{"name":"Water Economics and Policy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46979352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-02-25DOI: 10.1142/s2382624x21500193
Di Mao, Manhong Shen, Huiming Xie
Valuing water is difficult and contentious owing to water’s physical, political, and economic characteristics. Combining household-level and county-level data at the county level could clarify the responsibilities of both the government and users. In the Thousand Island Lake Water Distribution Project (TILWDP), the upstream ecosystem services provider, Chunan County, is assumed to sustain a tremendous opportunity cost due to the extremely strict environmental protection requirements of the project. To estimate the opportunity cost of supplying fresh water that meets the standards of the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations, a synthetic control model is introduced, and county-level macroeconomic data are used. A funding gap was estimated in the current government-financed situation. Meanwhile, willingness to pay is calculated based on household-level data collected in the downstream area. The estimate indicates that the combination of ecological compensation payments from governments and downstream stakeholders’ willingness to pay for water services could completely cover the upstream service provider’s opportunity cost. Specifically, the related central and downstream governments would need to take on approximately 1/3 of the total cost, while the users from the downstream area would take on the rest. The proposed policies include adopting government–user joint-financing payment for ecosystem services (PES) schemes for regional ecological and environmental cooperation in China, implementing diversified payment vehicles, launching additional environmental education projects, etc.
{"title":"Joint-Financing Framework for Water Services in the Thousand Island Lake Water Distribution Project in Eastern China","authors":"Di Mao, Manhong Shen, Huiming Xie","doi":"10.1142/s2382624x21500193","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/s2382624x21500193","url":null,"abstract":"Valuing water is difficult and contentious owing to water’s physical, political, and economic characteristics. Combining household-level and county-level data at the county level could clarify the responsibilities of both the government and users. In the Thousand Island Lake Water Distribution Project (TILWDP), the upstream ecosystem services provider, Chunan County, is assumed to sustain a tremendous opportunity cost due to the extremely strict environmental protection requirements of the project. To estimate the opportunity cost of supplying fresh water that meets the standards of the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations, a synthetic control model is introduced, and county-level macroeconomic data are used. A funding gap was estimated in the current government-financed situation. Meanwhile, willingness to pay is calculated based on household-level data collected in the downstream area. The estimate indicates that the combination of ecological compensation payments from governments and downstream stakeholders’ willingness to pay for water services could completely cover the upstream service provider’s opportunity cost. Specifically, the related central and downstream governments would need to take on approximately 1/3 of the total cost, while the users from the downstream area would take on the rest. The proposed policies include adopting government–user joint-financing payment for ecosystem services (PES) schemes for regional ecological and environmental cooperation in China, implementing diversified payment vehicles, launching additional environmental education projects, etc.","PeriodicalId":48492,"journal":{"name":"Water Economics and Policy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47098996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-02-21DOI: 10.1142/s2382624x22710023
M. Jeuland
{"title":"Systems thinking for more holistic analysis of low-and middle-income country water utility problems and solutions","authors":"M. Jeuland","doi":"10.1142/s2382624x22710023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/s2382624x22710023","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48492,"journal":{"name":"Water Economics and Policy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47306676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-02-14DOI: 10.1142/s2382624x22500047
S. Hanke, Christopher Arena
{"title":"Water Affordability and Accessibility in Baltimore, Maryland","authors":"S. Hanke, Christopher Arena","doi":"10.1142/s2382624x22500047","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/s2382624x22500047","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48492,"journal":{"name":"Water Economics and Policy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45492108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-24DOI: 10.1142/s2382624x21400038
Q. Sun, J. Mann, M. Skidmore
Severe flooding events often cause significant damage to an area, including affecting the local economy, disrupting transportation, and damaging infrastructure. While raw statistics offer some understanding of crop and property-related damages, resulting from large-scale floods, we also need to consider the longer-term impacts and recovery within an area and the interaction between adjacent areas during the recovery process. In this paper, we examine the impacts of major and minor flood events on business employment and the number of establishments in different sectors of the economy. While we find that flood events had a negative short-run impact on agricultural services and particularly small establishments, estimations show positive impacts in the service sector. We also identify significant spatial spillovers.
{"title":"The Impacts of Flooding and Business Activity and Employment: A Spatial Perspective on Small Business","authors":"Q. Sun, J. Mann, M. Skidmore","doi":"10.1142/s2382624x21400038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/s2382624x21400038","url":null,"abstract":"Severe flooding events often cause significant damage to an area, including affecting the local economy, disrupting transportation, and damaging infrastructure. While raw statistics offer some understanding of crop and property-related damages, resulting from large-scale floods, we also need to consider the longer-term impacts and recovery within an area and the interaction between adjacent areas during the recovery process. In this paper, we examine the impacts of major and minor flood events on business employment and the number of establishments in different sectors of the economy. While we find that flood events had a negative short-run impact on agricultural services and particularly small establishments, estimations show positive impacts in the service sector. We also identify significant spatial spillovers.","PeriodicalId":48492,"journal":{"name":"Water Economics and Policy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43929630","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-19DOI: 10.1142/s2382624x21800047
Aaron B. Flores
{"title":"Book Review — Flood Risk Management Global Case Studies of Governance, Policy, and Communities","authors":"Aaron B. Flores","doi":"10.1142/s2382624x21800047","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/s2382624x21800047","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48492,"journal":{"name":"Water Economics and Policy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-01-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43230741","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-11-19DOI: 10.1142/s2382624x21400026
Miguel A. Almazán-Gómez, T. Kahil, R. Duarte, Julio Sánchez‐Chóliz
{"title":"A multiregional input-output hydro-economic modeling framework: An application to the Ebro River basin","authors":"Miguel A. Almazán-Gómez, T. Kahil, R. Duarte, Julio Sánchez‐Chóliz","doi":"10.1142/s2382624x21400026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/s2382624x21400026","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48492,"journal":{"name":"Water Economics and Policy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43799032","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-11-17DOI: 10.1142/s2382624x21710028
Victoria A. Beard, D. Mitlin
This paper highlights challenges of water access in towns and cities of the global South and explores potential policy responses. These challenges are not new, although, we argue that they have been underestimated by policy makers due to a focus on global data, thus, resulting in decision makers paying insufficient attention to these problems. Policies need to be based on a more accurate assessment of challenges, specifically the need for continuous and affordable water service, and the need to provide services to informal settlements. We share findings from research on 15 cities across Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
{"title":"Addressing the Crisis in Urban Water Access","authors":"Victoria A. Beard, D. Mitlin","doi":"10.1142/s2382624x21710028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/s2382624x21710028","url":null,"abstract":"This paper highlights challenges of water access in towns and cities of the global South and explores potential policy responses. These challenges are not new, although, we argue that they have been underestimated by policy makers due to a focus on global data, thus, resulting in decision makers paying insufficient attention to these problems. Policies need to be based on a more accurate assessment of challenges, specifically the need for continuous and affordable water service, and the need to provide services to informal settlements. We share findings from research on 15 cities across Latin America, Asia, and Africa.","PeriodicalId":48492,"journal":{"name":"Water Economics and Policy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44238020","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-11-10DOI: 10.1142/s2382624x21500181
G. Meran, Markus Siehlow, C. von Hirschhausen
{"title":"Pipes, Taps, and Vendors: An Integrated Water Management Approach","authors":"G. Meran, Markus Siehlow, C. von Hirschhausen","doi":"10.1142/s2382624x21500181","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/s2382624x21500181","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48492,"journal":{"name":"Water Economics and Policy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2021-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43855648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}