Developing country farmers need more than financial incentives to reduce the risks of wastewater irrigation

Implementing financial incentives to motivate farmers to reduce the risks of using untreated wastewater for irrigation is not feasible in most agricultural settings in developing countries. Much wastewater is diverted informally from streams and ditches, with no accounting of the volumes used by sma...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wichelns, Dennis, Owaygen, M., Redwood, M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Informa UK Limited 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40477
Description
Summary:Implementing financial incentives to motivate farmers to reduce the risks of using untreated wastewater for irrigation is not feasible in most agricultural settings in developing countries. Much wastewater is diverted informally from streams and ditches, with no accounting of the volumes used by smallholder households. In addition, governance structures are often not sufficiently well established to implement appropriate policies. The authors describe the economic rationale for implementing financial incentives, while discussing alternative approaches for motivating farm-level improvements in cultural practices that might reduce risks for farmers, their families, other residents of agricultural communities and consumers.