Factors Affecting Participation of the Beneficiaries in Development of Irrigation and Drainage Networks in Bozhan River Watershed in Neyshabour County, Iran

Realization of development, specially rural and agricultural development,
as well as soil and water resources efficiency enhancement and irrigation
networks management improvement depend on the beneficiaries’
participation. Therefore, it is necessary to have macro planning and to be
aware of the factors influencing the beneficiaries' active participation in
irrigation networks management. Accordingly, this research was executed
to investigate how irrigation and drainage networks could be developed
based on the beneficiaries’ participatory strategies. The research area was
in the Bozhan River, Neyshabour County, Iran. Research method was
descriptive by using survey technique. The research instrument included a
questionnaire. All the network beneficiaries were included in the research
statistical population. Stratified random sampling was used to collect data
from 254 beneficiaries. Findings revealed that among all variables of the
research, ten variables including "referral of other farmers to a beneficiary
(water user)", "visiting demonstration farms", "contact with extension
agents", "access to funds and facilities", "educational background",
"accessible amount of water", "cultivation area", "awareness of advantages
and disadvantages of participation", "conflict background with Jihad
Keshavarzi Organization" and "job satisfaction" could anticipate a total of
60 percent of the variation of the dependent variable of ‘beneficiaries’
participation’ in developing secondary and tertiary irrigation and drainage
networks.