Economic Evaluation of Drip Irrigation in Fars Province

Iranian government persuades farmers to modernize their irrigation system by granting credit and subsidies. The objective of this research was to study economic aspects of accepting drip irrigation by farmers in Fars province. The data were collected from a sample of 140 orchard owners in three selected townships in 2005.Partial budgeting and project analysis methods were used. The finding of the study revealed that 62 percent of orchards had positive net present value. The results of partial budgeting analysis showed the positive impact of the new technology on cultivated area, yields and decreasing costs. Major problems of the system were pipe congestion, lower quality of pipes and initial investment Burdon. Finally, some recommendations are made to improve the situation through more emphasis on supervision and extension services.