IMPACT AND ADAPTATION STRATEGIES ON WATER RESOURCES: THE CASE OF THE BEKAA VALLEY- LEBANON

Potato crops are one of the main sources of income for farmers living in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon. Given their high sensitivity to water stress, water shortages can cause considerable losses in terms of potato yield and quality. To overcome this challenge, the use of water-saving technologies such as micro-irrigation systems are highly important. However, the adoption of this technique remains quite low among potato farmers in the Bekaa region, who still use ordinary sprinkler systems. In this study, the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) served as the conceptual framework for investigating these farmers’ behaviour in adopting a new micro-irrigation system. Therefore, this study critically assesses key factors that influence micro-irrigation acceptance among the potato farmers in the Bekaa region. The first phase of the research adopted a qualitative paradigm that utilized focus group discussion. The second phase of the research consisted of using a quantitative questionnaire to support and validate the focus groups’ findings. In the second phase, we extended the UTAUT model by considering farmers’ risk perception of the use of a new micro-irrigation technology. The results indicate that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions and risk perception strongly impact the potato farmers’ behavioural intentions and use behaviour related to the new technology. The policy implications of these findings are discussed. Keywords: Behavioural models, Water scarcity, Micro-irrigation, Technology adoption, Focus groups, Structural Equation Models