Study On Irrigation Water Price In Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region was located in the Northwest in China. The coexistphenomenon of water shortage and waste had become one of the basic constraints to achieve sustainabledevelopment in Inner Mongolia. Irrigation was the largest water sector in the Inner Mongolia, and theirrigation status was also not faring any better. The irrigation problems, such as water shortage andwaste, inefficient water use, were an unavoidable reality. Both the inherent historical problems and theimproper irrigation management system contributed to this situation. The effective reform of existingirrigation water price mechanism was particularly important.Based on the basic theoretical research of irrigation water prices, the paper reviews thedevelopment of irrigation pricing system from both domestic and foreign perspective. The historicalchanges, actual effectiveness and existing problem of irrigation pricing system in the Inner Mongoliawere reviewed in this mode. Taken the Agricultural terminal water price reform as the core, irrigationwater pricing reform framework and supporting measures in the Inner Mongolia were designed.First, paper analyzed connotation of irrigation water prices and its operating mechanism from thetheoretical point of view. The connotation and features of the irrigation water prices was defined fromthe dialectical relationship between value and price. The features of irrigation water prices wereproposed, such as the public welfare, policy guidance and non-mandatory. On this basis, we built thefunctions of the demand prices of irrigation water from the point of view of the irrigation water users.With the theory of balanced supply and demand, we further discussed how the water user adjust theirirrigation decision-making behavior under the conditions of the irrigation water price changes.Second, we studied the typical national and regional irrigation water pricing system, and analyzedthe existing problem of the current irrigation water price reform in the Inner Mongolia. From thedomestic and foreign perspective, we reviewed the history of the irrigation water price reform. On thisbasis, we had a preliminary judgment on the trend of China's future agricultural water price reform. Onthe angles of system and policy changes, we analyzed the history and current status of irrigation waterprice in the Inner Mongolia, and specifically studied the status and problem of irrigation water pricereform in the irrigation area.Third, we empirically studied the irrigation water price reform in the Inner Mongolia on theperspective of farmers. The actual effects of current irrigation water price reform and the farmer'sattitude to it were explored from the aspects of farmer's irrigation decision-making behavior andfarmer's affordability to irrigation water.Finally, put forward the framework of irrigation water price reform in the Inner Mongolia. Wesystematically illustrated the basic characteristics of current irrigation water pricing system in the InnerMongolia on the level of policies and regulations, found the key point of irrigation water pricing systemconstruction in the Inner Mongolia, put forward the irrigation water price reform framework systembased on the agricultural terminal water price reform, and designed the framework structure of the pricing mechanism.Innovation of the paper was as follows:(1) Built the farmers' response mechanism to irrigation water price based on economics theory ofwater price, and empirically proved the correctness of the response mechanism.(2) Analyzed the scientific, reasonable and practical effect of the national macro-policy on thefarmer's point of view. Based on the farmer's actual affordability and practical effect of the existingagricultural water pricing reform, irrigation water price reform framework was designed toaccommodate the characteristics of the Inner Mongolia.(3) Explored some vague concept and tried to defined these concept, such as irrigation water priceaffordability. Irrigation water price affordability was not the same as the affordability of water price,especially not as the affordability of industrial water price. Taking the agricultural features and thefarmer's inherent weakness into account, the irrigation water price affordability was defined as the unityof the irrigation water users' ability and willingness to pay. If the gap between the ability to pay andwillingness to pay was too large, government was necessary to take measures, such as subsidies, to fillthe gap in order to maintain the social welfare of irrigation water supply.(4) Put forward the framework and safeguard measures about the reform of irrigation water pricesystem in the Inner Mongolia on the basis of the policies and regulations about irrigation water pricesystem.