ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF ON-FARM WATER MANAGEMENT PROJECTS1

ABSTRACT: During the last three decades, developing countries have invested enormous amounts of resources (running into billions of dollars) in the development of large surface irrigation systems. Investment funds were largely spent on the development of the main systems such as dams, canals and distributaries. Very little attention and resources have been spent on the development of below-the-outlet subsystems, in spite of very low levels of water use efficiency due to lack of proper land leveling, high water losses in field channels, and skewed distribution of available water among farmers served by individual water courses. This state of affairs has resulted in a lack of confidence on the part of most farmers in the reliability of surface irrigation systems to deliver water on time and in adequate quantities which, in turn, has resulted in farmers using below optimum levels of all other complementary inputs except labor. Realizing the importance of improving water use efficiency, both the domestic governments and donor agencies are increasingly paying serious attention to these problems. On-Farm Water Management (OFWM) as a strategy to improve water use efficiency and consequently agricultural production in many developing countries has been currently receiving very wide and vigorous consideration among economists, water management experts, policymakers, and donor agencies. A judicious use of the newly allocated funds of OFWM projects obviously needs proper evaluation procedures so that money could be allocated for the most deserving purposes and projects. In particular, recently, private profitability calculations due to public investments in OFWM activities have received attention from economists and decision makers in developing countries’governments and in donor agencies are very much interested in knowing the impacts of their investments in OFWM activities on farmers’income and welfare. However, the evaluation procedures commonly used in empirical studies, using a production function approach, seem to be at variance and sometimes inconsistent with proper comparative-static procedures. Thus, the primary objective of this paper is to develop consistent procedures for evaluating the impacts created by OFWM investments on farmers’income and resource use. In this context, the paper examines the critical relationship between the market price of the agricultural output and production function parameters which are affected by the OFWM investments.     

The experiences of four corporate officials managing compliance with the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Act

The Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Act (TURA), one of the original pollution prevention laws, has faced repeated repeal attempts and budget cuts. Yet the Massachusetts toxics use data and other analyses have provided firm indications that the law has actually worked. Though the program has survived it is notable that an approach that both saves money and reduces pollution has been reduced and not expanded. This paper does not attempt to answer the question of why the strategies of TURA have not seen wider application, but offers four stories to illustrate what happens when they are properly applied. The experience of corporate officials who had to comply with TURA, related at a symposium on the occasion of the law’s 20th anniversary, shed light on how a strong pollution prevention law can benefit regulated companies as well as the environment and worker and public health, and provide suggestions, in addition to data and surveys, that TURA-like sets of governance tools should receive wider consideration.     

我国“十二五”期间推进清洁生产工作的思考

在末端治理日臻完善的时代,清洁生产是人类污染治理方式和生产力发展方式上的一次革命。我国推行清洁生产已有10余年,但进展较缓慢。本文在阐释清洁生产内涵的基础上分析了我国在推行清洁生产过程中存在的部分问题及其原因,提出了相应的对策和建议。     

促进我国企业实现清洁生产的途径

根据最新文献，对我国企业的现状，促进我国企业实现清洁生产的可能途径进行述评，认为应该针对我国不同行业、不同企业的实际情况，有所侧重地通过各种途径的共同作用，促进我国企业实现清洁生产。     

注水采油对中原油田生态环境的影响分析

随着近30年来中原油田高强度、大面积的石油开采，高强度注水采油和超采地下水造成的负面效应日益凸现。通过地下水位下降，地下漏斗面积增大，地面沉降，地裂缝，土壤、水体污染五个方面阐述了注水采油带来的生态环境问题，以及由此导致的对公共设施和建筑物的破坏、水土污染等严重后果。     

建筑火灾增长阶段室内温度的时间特性研究

为研究建筑火灾增长阶段室内温度的时间变化规律,提出了高温烟气的主要几种热损失的计算方法,发展了受火室与未受火室及环境的热平衡方程,并采用牛顿-拉菲尔森法迭代得到受火室的温度变化.计算了慢速、中速、快速、超快速四种火灾增长速率下,受火室气相温度及烟气热损失随时间的变化.本文的研究方法及有关结果可以为建筑防火及安全疏散提供有力依据.     

浅谈林业安全生产管理

分析了林业企业安全生产的根本目的及生产过程中决定安全的6项基本因素,并对企业安全生产的工作方法进行了阐述,对企业安全管理的发展方向进行了探讨.     

基于C/S+B/S混合模式的城市重大危险源管理系统的研究

分析城市重大危险源管理系统的功能结构,针对现阶段技术应用的局限性,笔者提出C/S+B/S混合模式的解决方案;对数据库系统、网络构架及安全性、兼容性和模型系统等关键技术进行研究;开发出基于C/S+B/S混合模式的城市重大危险源管理系统。该系统对解决城市重大危险源统一管理与布局分散的矛盾,实现重大危险源动态监管和重大事故应急指挥智能化,提高事故应急救援指挥和救援行为的效率有重要意义。     

国产布袋除尘器的应用与实践

介绍了昆明电厂原有的2台布袋除尘器建设情况,对其成功的部分和存在的问题进行了总结和分析,对导致这2台布袋除尘器被拆除的主要原因进行了梳理和探讨.     

浅谈大功率柴油机余热发电

介绍了中山柴油机发电厂余热发电技改项目,并分析论述了利用大功率柴油机排烟余热发电的优点.在油价高企的背景下,实施余热发电是节能环保的有效措施之一.