Water When It Counts : Reducing Scarcity through Irrigation Monitoring in Central Mozambique
Management of common-pool resources in the absence of individual pricing can lead to suboptimal allocation. In the context of irrigation schemes, this can create water scarcity even when there is sufficient water to meet the total requirements. Hig...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/206391519136157728/Water-when-it-counts-reducing-scarcity-through-irrigation-monitoring-in-Central-Mozambique http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29405 |
| Summary: | Management of common-pool resources in
the absence of individual pricing can lead to suboptimal
allocation. In the context of irrigation schemes, this can
create water scarcity even when there is sufficient water to
meet the total requirements. High-frequency data from three
irrigation schemes in Mozambique reveal patterns consistent
with inefficiency in allocations. A randomized control trial
compares two feedback tools: i) general information,
charting the water requirements for common crops, and ii)
individualized information, comparing water requirements
with each farmer's water use in the same season of the
previous year. Both types of feedback tools lead to higher
reported and observed sufficiency of water relative to
recommendations, and nearly eliminate reports of conflicts
over water. The experiment fails to detect an additional
effect of individualized comparative feedback relative to a
general information treatment. |
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