Irrigation Water Pricing: The Gap Between Theory and Practice

by François Molle, Jeremy Berkoff

Overview

Much hope has been vested in pricing as a means of helping to regulate and rationalize water management, notably in the irrigation sector. The pricing of water has often been applied universally, using general and ideological policies, and not considering regional environmental and economic differences. Almost fifteen years after the emphasis laid at the Dublin and Rio conferences on treating water as an economic good, a comprehensive review of how such policies have helped manage water resources and irrigation use is necessary. The case-studies presented here offer a re-assessment of current policies by evaluating their objectives and constraints and often demonstrating their failure by not considering the regional context. They will therefore contribute to avoiding costly and misplaced reforms and help design water policies that are based on a deeper understanding of the factors which eventually dictate their effectiveness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781845932923
Publisher:	CABI
Publication date:	10/30/2007
Series:	Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture Series , #4
Pages:	360
Product dimensions:	6.88(w) x 9.75(h) x (d)

About the Author

François Molle is a Senior Researcher at the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Montpellier, France and holds a joint appointment with the International Water Management Institute (Sri Lanka)

Table of Contents

1. Water pricing in irrigation: The lifetime of an idea
2. Water pricing in irrigation: Mapping the debate in the light of experience
3. Why is agricultural water demand irresponsive at low price ranges?
4. 'Get the prices right': A model of water prices and irrigation efficiency in Maharashtra, India
5. Thailand's 'Free Water': Rationale for a water charge and policy shifts
6. Water rights and water fees in Tanzania
7. Who will pay for water? The Vietnamese state's dilemma of decentralization of water management in the Red River Delta
8. Water pricing in Haryana, India
9. Energy-Irrigation Nexus in South Asia: Pricing versus rationing as practical tool for efficient resource allocation
10. Wells and canals in Jordan: Can pricing policies regulate irrigation water use?
11. Water pricing in Tadla, Morocco
12. Water pricing policies and recent reforms in China: The conflict between conservation and other policy goals
13. Water pricing and irrigation: A review of the European experience
14. Policy-driven determinants of irrigation development and environmental sustainability: A case study in Spain