Analyzing the Social Acceptance of Supplying Water to Achieve Wheat Self-sufficiency up to 2025

Abstract

Food security and water security are the fundamental components of community policy making. Through increasing safety and health as well as taking care of future generations and marginal groups, food security serves as one of the key issues related to sustainable rural and agriculture development. However, for the future of the world food, supplying the necessary water is a serious global challenge. With regard to the importance of the social acceptance of cost-benefit issues about water supplying for wheat self-sufficiency in the country, this paper seeks to respond to the question ‘how socially acceptable are the water supply programs for wheat self-sufficiency?’. Agriculture census (2012-13) and NETWAT data were used to compare the water consumption for wheat and other crops. A virtual workshop design was implemented for a social discourse about the reasons of water supply for wheat self-sufficiency. This was according to the integral future studies approach (2014-15). The data collection tool was a questionnaire (α = 0.05, chronbakh = 0.73) taken by a sample of 47 experts. As the results of the t-test (α = 0.05) showed, the experts would accept the pursuit of water supply programs for wheat self-sufficiency provided that water productivity is promoted and the following conditions are fulfilled: a) maintenance of the unique position of wheat in the food basket of the society, b) less water requirement for wheat than for most crops, c) insured access to wheat through its domestic production, d) improvement of national economic capacity, e) maintenance of agricultural employment capacity especially in rural areas, and f) maintenance and enhancement of national security.

Keywords

• Wheat self-sufficiency
• Virtual water
• Water governance
• Social acceptance
• Integral future studies