Accounting of Agricultural and Nonagricultural Impacts of Irrigation and Drainage Systems: A Study of Multifunctionality in Rice

Abstract

"The 'non-commodity' functions associated with agriculture, especially those with non-market outputs, may have significant impacts, positive or negative, on the sustainability of agricultural activity. For example, irrigation facilities that deliver water to rice fields serve a multitude of other beneficial purposes, including provision of water for domestic use, bathing, livestock, trees and other natural vegetation, groundwater recharge and flood control. This study examines the non-commodity functions of rice irrigation in Taiwan, particularly as they relate to society, human health and the environment, and, to the extent possible, quantifies them for some situations in Taiwan. It concludes that the monetary value of the multiple functions of rice irrigation is very substantial-on the order of its commodity value -and decisions about the future of rice agriculture should factor in both types of outputs."