Factors Affecting Farmers' Willingness To Adopt Water-Saving Irrigation Technology

The total water resource is abundant in China. However, because of the dense population, China's per capita water resources is less than the world average. In recent years, with the upgrading of the level of the industrialization and the rapid progress of urbanization, deteriorating water pollution and the water shortage is becoming increasingly prominent. Using the water-saving technology which can be used to enhance the effective coefficient of irrigation is an important way to alleviate the water crisis. Therefore, how to improve farmers'willingness has a direct impact on their adoption, which will be good for agricultural safety and social development. Many experts have given much attention to farmers'adoption of water-saving technology. However, many studies used standard analysis, lacking theoretical supporting. Besides, most concerned arid regions in northern China, ignoring China's southeastern provinces where are abundant of water, but also faced by water shortage.The paper summarizes researches at home and abroad on the basis of Social Action Theory, Rational Choice Theory, and the Theory of Planned Behavior at first, then builds a model of farmers'water-saving irrigation technology adoption. In empirical analysis section, this paper collected data from 311 households in 16 cities and countries firstly, then using factor analysis to explore important factors, and then using binary logistic regression analysis to explore those factors affecting farmers' adoption. Data shows that farmers'age, subsidies from government, mutual help among farmers, and department operational guidance, types of information channels, risk factor and income factor have important implications on farmers'adoption willingness. And subsidies from government, mutual help among farmers, types of information channels, risk factor and income factor have positive correlation with farmers'willingness of adoption. And the remaining two factors play negative effect. Therefore, this paper draws the following conclusions. First is to accelerate promotion of water-saving irrigation technology adoption, which is an effective way to solve the shortage of agricultural water resources. Second is to enhance the government's support, and it is good to increase farmers'willingness. Third, farmers'understanding and grasp towards the technology have some active relationship to their adoption willingness. Forth, exterior factors, such as the technical properties, through their perception, will have an indirect effect on their willingness. Fifth, the technology itself also relates to farmers' adoption willingness. Finally, according to the above analysis, this paper puts forward some policy implications.