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Agricultural water allocation efficiency in a developing country canal irrigation system

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 June 2017

Agha Ali Akram  and
Robert Mendelsohn
Agha Ali Akram
Affiliation:
Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, 195 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06511, USA. E-mail: agha.akram@yale.edu
Robert Mendelsohn
Affiliation:
Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, USA. E-mail: robert.mendelsohn@yale.edu
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Abstract

There is ample evidence that canal systems often fail to reach their design capacity. This study argues that inefficient allocation of water within canals is one cause. This study collects precise measures of farm-level water withdrawals using flow meters in a canal in Pakistan. These data reveal that farmers near the head of the canal get more canal water than farmers near the tail, even accounting for conveyance efficiency. The results suggest that improvements in canal water management would yield efficiency gains for the canal.

Type
Research Article
Information
Environment and Development Economics , Volume 22 , Issue 5 , October 2017 , pp. 571 - 593
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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