Water Conflict and Its Management Strategies Among Users of Shared Water Wells: The Case Study of Farmers in Bahar County of Hamadan Province

Water conflict is a major challenge that, if left unmanaged, will become a security issue. Although tensions over water have increased, conflicts over shared water resources are more likely to happen. The study aimed to investigate water conflict and its management strategies among farmers.

The descriptive-survey research method was used. The data-gathering tool was the questionnaire, which its validity was verified through face validity. The study population included farmers who used shared water wells to provide water for agriculture (N=478). Using Cochran's formula, the sample size was 214 farmers who were selected by the simple random sampling method. Data were analyzed using SPSS software.

The results showed that “drought” and “increasing number of farmers”, with an average score of 3.56 and 3.45 respectively on a scale of 1 to 5, are considered as the main causes of agricultural water conflict. From the farmers’ view, the priority for reducing water conflicts was the participation of farmers in managing water wells and negotiating with farmers around the water. On a scale of 13 to 65 with an average of 38.51, the perceived agricultural water conflict was at the medium level. By increasing farm distance from the well, area of agricultural rental land, and annual income from non-agricultural activities, the perception of agricultural water conflict increased. However, by increasing owned agricultural land area and agricultural income, the perception of agricultural water conflict decreased. The main strategy used by farmers to manage agricultural water conflict was “control”, in which coercion and force are used to manage conflict. The “problem-solving” and “avoidance” strategies were the second and third priorities respectively.