How physical and social factors affect village-level irrigation: An institutional analysis of water governance in northern China

► Water users rationally responded to the incentives of water use. ► The organization of irrigation water fits the physical and the institutional settings. ► The organization of irrigation shows water users' self-governance capacity. ► Assuring water users' property rights is the precondition of self-organization. ► A change of broader institutional context of water laws and policies is needed.