Ali Asghar Shahroudi - Graduate Student (M.Sc.) of Agricultural Extension and Education Department, College of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran, Iran
Mohammad Chizari - Professor of Agricultural Extension and Education Department, College of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran, Iran.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the farmers’ participation in irrigation networks management with an approach to compare two groups of farmers in the irrigation networks with Water Users’ Cooperative (WUC) and without it. The methodological approach was a descriptive-correlational and causal-comparative study of the survey type. The target population in the study consisted of 2551 farmers of irrigation networks in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. By using stratified random sampling technique, 335 participants were chosen. Data were collected through a questionnaire and were analyzed using SPSS, V. 13. Content and face validity of the instrument obtained by the faculty members of Agricultural Extension and Education, Agronomy and Irrigation Departments at Tarbiat Modarres University and also Specialists Board of Agricultural Jihad Organization and Regional Water Joint-stock Company in Razavi Khorasan Province. The reliability analysis was conducted and Cronbach’s alpha values for the various sections of instrument were estimated to be between 0.73 and 0.86. The results of t-test with independent samples showed that there were significant differences in relation to the averages of the variables of status of farmers’ participation in irrigation management, annual income, farmers’ perception of rural irrigation status, social solidarity, social participation, farmers’ attitude toward the WUC, extension contacts, social confidence, farmers’ behavior regarding farm water management, their age, experience in agriculture, communication channels and education level between two groups of water users, i.e. those who were in irrigation network with WUC and those who did not, which the magnitude of statistical differences were arranged for these variables, respectively.

Participatory irrigation management, water users’ cooperative, farmer, farm water management, sustainability