Groundwater is critical to irrigated production in many arid and semiarid regions of the world. Groundwater that is low in quality presents limited value to farmers as an input to agricultural production. In this paper, we present findings from a survey of irrigator perceptions and irrigation water testing behavior targeted to producers in the Kansas portion of the High Plains Aquifer. Additionally, we estimate the value of an incremental increase in the quality of groundwater for agricultural irrigation using contingent valuation. We find that 30% of respondents have either “moderate” or “major” concern over the agricultural impacts of irrigation water quality. Additionally, 20% of respondents indicate that water quality has had either “moderate” or “major” impacts on their crop yields. Lastly, we find a median willingness to pay of US$39 well–1 for an incremental increase in irrigation water quality, as measured by reduced salt content.

中文翻译：

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灌溉者的看法和高平原含水层地下水质量的价值

地下水对世界许多干旱和半干旱地区的灌溉生产至关重要。低质量的地下水作为农业生产的投入物对农民的价值有限。在本文中，我们展示了针对高平原含水层堪萨斯州部分生产者的灌溉者感知和灌溉水测试行为调查的结果。此外，我们使用条件估值来估计农业灌溉地下水质量增量增加的价值。我们发现 30% 的受访者对灌溉水质对农业的影响有“中等”或“主要”的担忧。此外，20% 的受访者表示水质对其作物产量产生了“中等”或“重大”影响。最后，