A Study On The Behavioral Strategies Of Stakeholeders In The Formation Of Farmers’ Water Association

Infrastructure of irrigation water conservancy construction not only is an important foundation for the development of modern agriculture,at the same time,it is also the guarantee of national food security.Since the 1990s,With the help of relevant national leaders and technical experts,China began to carry out trials of participatory irrigation management reform across the country.The Farmers’ Water Association has been widely promoted in rural areas,especially in the central and western regions,as the main model of participatory irrigation management.Undeniable,The Farmers’ Water Association has played an important role in the construction infrastructure of irrigation and water conservancy,sharing responsibility of project management and maintenance,protection of farmland irrigation,and improvement of comprehensive agricultural production capacity.However,with it pilot promotion,its operational effect has also caused a lot of controversy.The development of Farmers’ Water associations are unbalance in different regions,and some have been rated as national model organizations,while others has emphasized construction regardless of management,even hard to produce.As a rural self-organization,the Farmers’ Water associations also involves multiple participants,and the interactions and behavioral logic of its main stakeholders directly influence the process of establishing water associations.This paper selects major grain producing county in the eastern part of China,as the research object,and uses stakeholder theory as the theoretical support.It defines and identifies the main interests of Farmers’ Water Associations,specifically analyzes its interest appeals and behavioral strategies.The research content mainly has the following aspects:Firstly,to summarize the theoretical research on the participatory irrigation model of Farmers’ Water Association by domestic and foreign scholars,and then to explain the analytical framework for stakeholders of the Farmer Water Association.Secondly,we select a county of Jiangsu province in the eastern part,named L,as the case study object,and learn from Farmer Water Association that are similar to L county,which have natural agricultural endowments and have well operations,that is the successful experience of the Farmers’Water Association in Huoshan Piyuan Irrigation District of Anhui Province and the Farmers’ Water Association in Suqian Lailong Irrigation District of Jiangsu Province.And we has contrasted and analyzed the status of construction of Farmers’ Water Associations in L County.Thirdly,we apply stakeholder theory as theoretical tools,identification of main stakeholders in the process of the establishment of Farmers’ Water Associations in L County,including water affairs bureaus,water conservancy stations,village committees and farmers’ water users.Then we apply research interviews,phenomenon induction and other methods to analyze the interest appeals and interactive relations of the four principal parts,and focus on the game analysis of their behaviors.Fourthly,we put forward some suggestions for coordinating multi-stakeholders to reach a consensus of balanced interests,such as policy coordination,mechanism integration and governance participation etc.In order to promote rural water cooperation organizations to be stable,sustainable and positive development,and make positive contributions to the priority development of agriculture and rural areas.