Water scarcity perceptions of farmers and adoption ofdrip irrigation: A Case study on Küçük Menderes River Basin

This thesis examines the factors explaining the limited uptake of drip irrigation among farmers in the Küçük Menderes River Basin, specifically in the districts of Tire, Ödemiş, and Bayındır. Despite the basin's vulnerability to water scarcity and climate change, drip irrigation has not been widely embraced, particularly for silage maize. The objective of this study was to understand which individual and contextual/institutional factors are contributing to the unwillingness of farmers towards adopting drip irrigation for silage maize production in the basin. To answer this question, I conducted face-to-face surveys and follow-up in-depth interviews with 43 farmers in the basin (36 small-scale and seven medium to large-scale), as well as six in-depth interviews with the representatives of the relevant government authorities responsible for agriculture. Findings indicate that small, medium, and large-scale farmers do not prefer drip irrigation for silage maize production irrespective of their individual characteristics in the basin. This reluctance can be attributed to their belief that drip irrigation technology is not effective especially for silage maize, insufficiency of government support and/or their inability to benefit from these supports, and high costs of labor associated with drip irrigation. Moreover, biophysical factors such as precipitation and soil characteristics, as well as traditional agricultural knowledge (e.g. crop rotation) enable farmers to address water scarcity in the basin. The study suggests that a one-size-fits-all-approach for the adoption of drip irrigation may hinder a deeper understanding of local needs and knowledge and may be unproductive for coping with water scarcity.