2011 Volume 79 Issue 6 Pages 431-439
In recent years, national support has been provided to groups that promote conservation of agricultural water resources through joint activities involving the whole community. To continue their efforts, these groups need to take an approach that keeps their members motivated. In this paper, we examined factors that influenced members' willingness to participate in activities that maintained irrigation/drainage canals and analyzed the current situation in a case-study area with a questionnaire given to members. We found that awareness of the necessity for maintenance was the most influential factor affecting willingness to participate, and knowledge of the multifunctionality of water for rural life and the environment had the greatest effect on awareness of necessity in the case-study area. We also found that “maintenance is required for full functionality” should be emphasized as an effective approach.