Natural Resources Governance

Natural Resources Governance

Investigating the Role of Good Governance Components in Distinguishing Levels of Possible Scenarios for the Adoption of Water Management Technologies in Isfahan Province

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Parvin Hajiagha 1
Amir Alambeigi 1
Ahmad Rezvanfar 1
Seyed Mohammad Moghimi 2
1 Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.
2 Department of Public administration, Faculty of Public Administration and Organizational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
10.22059/jnrg.2026.410642.1091
Abstract
The increasing water scarcity crisis in arid and semi-arid regions, especially in the agricultural sector, has made the transition to water management technologies one of the main priorities of policymaking. However, evidence shows that the adoption of these technologies is strongly influenced by the quality of governance and institutional contexts. This study aims to investigate the role of good governance components in distinguishing the levels of possible scenarios for the adoption of water management technologies in Isfahan province. The present study was conducted with a quantitative and scenario-based approach, and data were collected through structured questionnaires from 120 experts, specialists, and activists in the agricultural sector and knowledge-based companies in the field of smart irrigation technologies. For data analysis, a multinomial logistic regression model was used to distinguish different levels of technology adoption across five policy scenarios, including financial support and subsidies, education and access to information, risk-taking and outcome guarantees, social interactions and peer pressure, and laws and government supervision. The results showed that under unfavorable governance conditions, most components are unable to meaningfully distinguish between adoption levels, and farmers' behavior converges. In contrast, with the gradual improvement of governance quality, the role of components such as cooperation and participation, laws and regulations, access to information, cultivation and informing, and technical support becomes prominent at different levels of adoption. The findings also show that some tools, such as education or technical support, in the absence of complementary support mechanisms, can even have a deterrent effect on widespread adoption. Overall, the results of this study emphasize that the transition to water management technologies is possible not through individual interventions, but by designing integrated, phased policy packages tailored to different levels of adoption. This approach can provide an analytical and operational framework for accelerating technological transition through good governance in Isfahan province.
Keywords
Good Governance
Innovation Governance
Smart Irrigation
Technology Adoption
Water Management
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Natural Resources Governance
Volume 3, Issue 2
Spring 2026
Pages 20-40