technology adoption and the government maintains this orientation, water-use efficiency will
increase in the agricultural sector contributing to
the achievement of specific targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In particular, with respect to the change in water-use
efficiency (goal 6.4.1), protection of waterrelated ecosystems (goal 6.6), and improvement
of energy intensity (goal 7.3.1).
7 Conclusions and Outlook
This review of the institutional settings and the
political disputes about water resource quality
and management reveals the public sensitivity
towards pollution in common pool resources
such as the Carrizal aquifer. This is particularly
the case when quality degradation is not diffuse
but local and the guilty can easily be identified.
In order to gain political credibility, public
institutions need to show responsibility to deal
with groundwater issues by explaining and analyzing the risks and benefits (Foster and Garduño
2012). A credible threat of losing drilling permits
could create enough incentives to improve
groundwater management (Livingston and Garrido 2004). This scenario would motivate water
and energy institutions to boost efficiency,
reaching higher standards on integrated water
resource management.
In this paper, the beneficiaries of the irrigation
policies are the agricultural producers. Findings
indicate joint implications of water, agricultural,
and energy policies for groundwater availability.
The DGI remains the highest authority in irrigation water management in the province. The
tripod analysis revealed an unbalanced set of
policy tools. There are more policy measures
oriented to the demand side and relevant participation of collective action involved in the
management within the framework. More policies on the supply side could be more difficult
and possibly expensive to design but they
would have a bigger effect on the water management system. Some suggestions on the supply
side include fostering wastewater reuse, solar
pumping systems, and better storage facilities. As
stated by Abler and Shortle (1991), these political changes will be viable if they positively affect
the institutions’ budget, gain confidence from
large stakeholders in the political sphere, and
optimize the administrative and enforcement
costs. This calls for avoiding policy objectives
that could backfire in the wrong direction.
However, it is expected that lowering energy
subsidies for agricultural irrigation will correct
the economic incentives and thus diminish
groundwater use. In the past, no clear and consistent policies were made to improve the targeting of beneficiaries towards paying the full
costs of energy tariffs.
Under these conditions, the stakeholders may
perceive that business as usual is acceptable as
there are no changes in policies and incentives. If
the recent modification of electricity tariffs
imposed by the national government comes
along with better targeting of subsidy beneficiaries, the marginal cost of water abstraction would
increase, which may improve the irrigation
practices and intercept overexploitation of the
aquifer. The provision of a subsidy for groundwater abstraction may improve the living standard of less profitable farmers but it is not the
appropriate approach to improve their livelihood
long term. Conversely, when policies are not
complemented with instructive and participatory
approaches that improve water management,
farmers will continue to rely on their traditional
irrigation practices with no changes in the marginal productivity of water and increasing production costs in the medium term, as more
energy would be used for irrigation. From the
environmental perspective, advancing towards a
more responsible taxation scheme in developing
countries implies the consistent political will to
withdraw inefficient subsidies supported by
technical evidence. This research contributes to
the analysis from the political economy perspective by unveiling the motivation of different
groups of stakeholders. In this line, more
research is desirable as it would not only contribute to policy-design but will ease implementation in developing countries.
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F. S. Riera and B. Brümmer
increase in the agricultural sector contributing to
the achievement of specific targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In particular, with respect to the change in water-use
efficiency (goal 6.4.1), protection of waterrelated ecosystems (goal 6.6), and improvement
of energy intensity (goal 7.3.1).
7 Conclusions and Outlook
This review of the institutional settings and the
political disputes about water resource quality
and management reveals the public sensitivity
towards pollution in common pool resources
such as the Carrizal aquifer. This is particularly
the case when quality degradation is not diffuse
but local and the guilty can easily be identified.
In order to gain political credibility, public
institutions need to show responsibility to deal
with groundwater issues by explaining and analyzing the risks and benefits (Foster and Garduño
2012). A credible threat of losing drilling permits
could create enough incentives to improve
groundwater management (Livingston and Garrido 2004). This scenario would motivate water
and energy institutions to boost efficiency,
reaching higher standards on integrated water
resource management.
In this paper, the beneficiaries of the irrigation
policies are the agricultural producers. Findings
indicate joint implications of water, agricultural,
and energy policies for groundwater availability.
The DGI remains the highest authority in irrigation water management in the province. The
tripod analysis revealed an unbalanced set of
policy tools. There are more policy measures
oriented to the demand side and relevant participation of collective action involved in the
management within the framework. More policies on the supply side could be more difficult
and possibly expensive to design but they
would have a bigger effect on the water management system. Some suggestions on the supply
side include fostering wastewater reuse, solar
pumping systems, and better storage facilities. As
stated by Abler and Shortle (1991), these political changes will be viable if they positively affect
the institutions’ budget, gain confidence from
large stakeholders in the political sphere, and
optimize the administrative and enforcement
costs. This calls for avoiding policy objectives
that could backfire in the wrong direction.
However, it is expected that lowering energy
subsidies for agricultural irrigation will correct
the economic incentives and thus diminish
groundwater use. In the past, no clear and consistent policies were made to improve the targeting of beneficiaries towards paying the full
costs of energy tariffs.
Under these conditions, the stakeholders may
perceive that business as usual is acceptable as
there are no changes in policies and incentives. If
the recent modification of electricity tariffs
imposed by the national government comes
along with better targeting of subsidy beneficiaries, the marginal cost of water abstraction would
increase, which may improve the irrigation
practices and intercept overexploitation of the
aquifer. The provision of a subsidy for groundwater abstraction may improve the living standard of less profitable farmers but it is not the
appropriate approach to improve their livelihood
long term. Conversely, when policies are not
complemented with instructive and participatory
approaches that improve water management,
farmers will continue to rely on their traditional
irrigation practices with no changes in the marginal productivity of water and increasing production costs in the medium term, as more
energy would be used for irrigation. From the
environmental perspective, advancing towards a
more responsible taxation scheme in developing
countries implies the consistent political will to
withdraw inefficient subsidies supported by
technical evidence. This research contributes to
the analysis from the political economy perspective by unveiling the motivation of different
groups of stakeholders. In this line, more
research is desirable as it would not only contribute to policy-design but will ease implementation in developing countries.
142
F. S. Riera and B. Brümmer