Assessment of Institutional Social Learning Capacity with a Reference to Learning Loops in the Level of Agricultural Water Users, Case Study: Rafsanjan Study Area

Persistence of water problems from one side, and inflexibility of the IWRM approach in dealing with those problems from the other side in recent years, have led to development of new approaches such as water governance, adaptive co-management, and especially social learning. Social learning is defined as learning by social groups as a result of their interactions towards new knowledge, common understanding, and trust, which is eventually led to the collective efforts and actions. This paper relies on the concept of triple loops of learning to assess the context of water resources governance and management in the Rafsanjan plain in the level of “Agricultural Water Users”. The findings show that the area confronts with a severe groundwater crisis. Snowball sampling has been used to identify main actors. To gather the required data, semi-structured interviews were implemented for data collecting. The area was studied in five sub-areas. The results show that the dominant learning loop between farmers of Nuq District and Anar County was a double loop learning (of course oriented towards deterioration of the groundwater resource, while the dominant learning loop between farmers of Koshkuiyeh and Kabutar Khan District and Rafsanjan County was a single loop learning to follow the same attitude of provision with water for agriculture. The assessment of social learning loops indicated that structural changes were needed in Rafsanjan Plain to adapt to water scarcity. Following the current trend of groundwater over-exploitation can result in a tragedy of commons.