Investments to rehabilitate irrigation infrastructure aim to enhance climate resilience and improve farmers' livelihoods in the face of hydrological risks. Studies seeking to assess the impacts from investments in irrigation primarily focus on yield and income-related poverty measures. This approach provides an incomplete picture of the distributional implications of investments, such as the impact of rehabilitated irrigation infrastructure on the subjective well-being of farmers. Drawing on data from 707 farmers in Madhya Pradesh, India, we explore whether investments to rehabilitate irrigation infrastructure are associated with changes in subjective well-being among smallholders. Our findings show a positive relationship between farmers with access to rehabilitated surface irrigation and well-being improvements. Results reveal that farmers in areas with rehabilitated irrigation canals experience improvements in subjective well-being which are 20%–30% higher in comparison to farmers in areas without rehabilitated canals. When results are disaggregated, we find a larger positive effect on well-being for farmers in deficient-rainfall areas compared to average- or high-rainfall areas. The integration of contextual factors related to subjective well-being into future assessments of infrastructure investments in India can enhance knowledge of the multidimensional benefits of canal irrigation among diverse farming groups facing differing degrees of hydrological risk.

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在评估灌溉基础设施的影响时，主观幸福感是否重要？印度中央邦的经验证据

修复灌溉基础设施的投资旨在增强气候适应能力，并在面临水文风险时改善农民的生计。旨在评估灌溉投资影响的研究主要集中在与产量和收入相关的贫困措施上。这种方法对投资的分配影响提供了不完整的图景，例如修复的灌溉基础设施对农民主观福祉的影响。利用印度中央邦 707 名农民的数据，我们探讨了修复灌溉基础设施的投资是否与小农主观幸福感的变化有关。我们的研究结果表明，农民获得恢复的地表灌溉和改善福祉之间存在正相关关系。结果表明，与未修复运河地区的农民相比，修复灌溉渠道地区的农民的主观幸福感提高了 20% 至 30%。对结果进行分解后，我们发现与平均降雨量或降雨量高的地区相比，降雨不足地区对农民的福祉产生了更大的积极影响。将与主观幸福感相关的背景因素整合到未来对印度基础设施投资的评估中，可以增强对面临不同程度水文风险的不同农业群体对运河灌溉多维效益的了解。对结果进行分解后，我们发现与平均降雨量或降雨量高的地区相比，降雨不足地区对农民的福祉产生了更大的积极影响。将与主观幸福感相关的背景因素整合到未来对印度基础设施投资的评估中，可以增强对面临不同程度水文风险的不同农业群体对运河灌溉多维效益的了解。对结果进行分解后，我们发现与平均降雨量或降雨量高的地区相比，降雨不足地区对农民的福祉产生了更大的积极影响。将与主观幸福感相关的背景因素整合到未来对印度基础设施投资的评估中，可以增强对面临不同程度水文风险的不同农业群体对运河灌溉多维效益的了解。