Estimating the economic value of water using positive mathematical programming in Quchan city

In recent decades most countries because of water crisis tend to manage water resources and water allocation well. Water, the crucial element, is the most important factor limiting of economic development and input in Iranian agriculture. This study estimates the economic value of water with applying positive mathematical programming between farmers in Quchan. The data, used of simple random sampling method, in this study completed by questionnaires between 118 of the farmers in Quchan. Then farmers were divided in 2 groups (farmers with less than 5 acres and more than 5 acres) with using analysis of variance that each group of farmers affected by the reaction of the three scenarios (decrease 30%, 40% &70% water resources for farmers group1 and decrease 10%, 25% & 75% water resources for farmers group2 also increase 70%, 80% & 100% in water price for farmers group1 and 75%, 80% &100% for farmers group2) were examined. The results showed that the economic value of water under scenarios of decrease water for farmers group 1 respectively equal 1100, 1340 & 3120 Rials and for farmers group 2 respectively equal 10, 1260 and 4730 Rials. Also the cultivation of products such as wheat, barley, potatoes and tomatoes has been less change than the existing scenarios.