Identifying the Knowledge Components of Institutional Water Literacy: An Exploratory Study in the Agricultural Sector of Qarchak County

نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی

نویسندگان

1 M.Sc. of Public Policy, Department of Management, Isfahan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

2 Assistant Professor. Department of Management, Isfahan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

10.30473/ee.2026.76003.2896

چکیده

Water literacy, as an emerging concept in water resources management, plays a fundamental role in enhancing knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors associated with sustainable water use. Within this framework, "institutional water literacy" goes beyond individual awareness and refers to organizational knowledge and decision-making structures related to water governance, thereby providing a basis for effective policymaking and macro-level decision-making. As the largest water-consuming sector in Iran, agriculture requires improvement at this level of literacy to enhance water productivity and the sustainability of water resources through scientific management and organizational knowledge capacities. The present study sought to identify the knowledge components of institutional water literacy within the organizational structure of water management in the Agricultural Jihad Organization of Qarchak County, using a qualitative approach based on thematic analysis. Data were collected and analyzed through semi-structured interviews and homogeneous purposive sampling with 17 informed and key stakeholders in the water sector and staff of the Agricultural Jihad Organization. To ensure the trustworthiness of the findings, Lincoln and Guba's four criteria, credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability, were applied, supported by participant review and the use of direct quotations. The findings identified 12 key knowledge categories: knowledge of the natural and environmental system of water resources; the socio-environmental consequences of the water crisis; policy and regulations; formal and customary property rights; the economics of water use and resource valuation; strategic, foresight, and contextual knowledge; participation and intersectoral governance; technical knowledge of efficient water use; productivity analysis and water-use measurement; data-driven knowledge and information technology; the water-agriculture-food security nexus; and communication and extension. The results indicate that enhancing institutional water literacy requires strengthening multidimensional knowledge capacities, including analytical, data-driven, technical, legal, and participatory capabilities; such an approach can support informed decision-making and effective water resource management in the agricultural sector. Accordingly, the study's operational model is organized around four pillars: ecosystem adaptation knowledge, integrated governance, technical-economic knowledge, and communication-extension knowledge. This model can serve as a roadmap for institutional transformation in other organizations involved in agricultural water management.

کلیدواژه‌ها

موضوعات

عنوان مقاله [English]

Identifying the Knowledge Components of Institutional Water Literacy: An Exploratory Study in the Agricultural Sector of Qarchak County

نویسندگان [English]

  • Mohammad Amotaghi 1
  • Sahar Faeghi 2
1 M.Sc. of Public Policy, Department of Management, Isfahan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
2 Assistant Professor. Department of Management, Isfahan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
چکیده [English]

Water literacy, as an emerging concept in water resources management, plays a fundamental role in enhancing knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors associated with sustainable water use. Within this framework, "institutional water literacy" goes beyond individual awareness and refers to organizational knowledge and decision-making structures related to water governance, thereby providing a basis for effective policymaking and macro-level decision-making. As the largest water-consuming sector in Iran, agriculture requires improvement at this level of literacy to enhance water productivity and the sustainability of water resources through scientific management and organizational knowledge capacities. The present study sought to identify the knowledge components of institutional water literacy within the organizational structure of water management in the Agricultural Jihad Organization of Qarchak County, using a qualitative approach based on thematic analysis. Data were collected and analyzed through semi-structured interviews and homogeneous purposive sampling with 17 informed and key stakeholders in the water sector and staff of the Agricultural Jihad Organization. To ensure the trustworthiness of the findings, Lincoln and Guba's four criteria, credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability, were applied, supported by participant review and the use of direct quotations. The findings identified 12 key knowledge categories: knowledge of the natural and environmental system of water resources; the socio-environmental consequences of the water crisis; policy and regulations; formal and customary property rights; the economics of water use and resource valuation; strategic, foresight, and contextual knowledge; participation and intersectoral governance; technical knowledge of efficient water use; productivity analysis and water-use measurement; data-driven knowledge and information technology; the water-agriculture-food security nexus; and communication and extension. The results indicate that enhancing institutional water literacy requires strengthening multidimensional knowledge capacities, including analytical, data-driven, technical, legal, and participatory capabilities; such an approach can support informed decision-making and effective water resource management in the agricultural sector. Accordingly, the study's operational model is organized around four pillars: ecosystem adaptation knowledge, integrated governance, technical-economic knowledge, and communication-extension knowledge. This model can serve as a roadmap for institutional transformation in other organizations involved in agricultural water management.

کلیدواژه‌ها [English]

  • Institutional Water Literacy Knowledge
  • Institutional Stakeholders
  • Agriculture
  • Qarchak County

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فصلنامه علمی آموزش محیط زیست و توسعه پایدار
دوره 14، شماره 4
شهریور 1405
صفحه 157-181

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