FAO WATER REPORTS 27 Economic valuation of water resources in agriculture by Kerry Turner Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment and Jacob Burke |
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Cover photograph:
Farmer pumping groundwater, Gujarat, India.
Marcus
Moench
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ISBN 92-5-105190-9
ISSN 1020-1203
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© FAO 2004
The water resources management problem
An integrated framework to water resource valuation, appraisal and management
Chapter 1. The role of water in agricultural development
Economic characteristics of water
The dominance of agricultural water useIrrigation and agricultural development objectives
Food security
Poverty alleviation
International consensus in water policy: water as an economic good
Chapter 2. A framework for interdisciplinary analysis of water resources: a functional perspective
The nature and problem of environmental valuation
The functional perspective at a catchment scale
The need for analysis at the catchment scale
Ecosystem functioning and the functions of water resources
Maintenance of functional diversity
Structures, processes and functions of water resourcesHydrological functions
Biogeochemical functions
Ecological functionsAn integrated approach to assessment
Scoping and problem auditing
Identification of appropriate evaluation criteria
Data collection and monitoring via indicators
Assessment of the options under consideration by decision-makers
Chapter 3. Economics of water allocation
Economic appraisal and allocation of water
Cost-benefit analysis
Cost-effectiveness analysis
Economically efficient allocation: the theory
Reasons for inefficient allocationWater allocation systems
Pricing and cost recovery in the irrigation sectorPricing, opportunity costs and economic benefits
Opportunity costs of resource depletion and degradation
Economic benefits
Chapter 4. Economic valuation of water resources
Valuation of goods and services provided by water
Use of economic values in the management of water resources
The importance of water in national development strategies
Modification of national accounts
The setting of national and sectoral priorities
Project, programme and policy evaluation
Economic valuation and sustainable developmentPractical issues concerning economic valuation
Scale
Aggregation and double counting
Allocation over time
Risk and uncertainty
Irreversible change
Data limitations
Indirect approaches
Direct approaches
Environmental value transfer
Income multiplier method
Other non-economic approaches to valuationEconomic valuation of functions and services: practice
Hydrological functions
Biogeochemical functions
Ecological functions
An integrated framework to water resource valuation, appraisal and management