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Increasing Block-Rate Prices for Irrigation Water Motivate Drain Water Reduction

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The Economics and Management of Water and Drainage in Agriculture

Abstract

This chapter reviews the potential role of price incentives in modifying farm-level irrigation decisions to coincide with socially optimal choices when drainwater contains toxic elements. An optimization framework for irrigation districts facing drainwater discharge constraints is presented and implications for water pricing structures are discussed. Details of a block-rate pricing program that was implemented in a California irrigation district during 1989 are described and farm-level responses to the program are discussed. Results of the program include reductions in applied water for some crops in 1989 and reductions in the total volume of drainwater collected in the district.

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References

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© 1991 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Wichelns, D. (1991). Increasing Block-Rate Prices for Irrigation Water Motivate Drain Water Reduction. In: Dinar, A., Zilberman, D. (eds) The Economics and Management of Water and Drainage in Agriculture. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4028-1_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4028-1_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-6801-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-4028-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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