Eco-compensation standards for agricultural water conservation: A case study of the paddy land-to-dry land program in China

Compensation programs ensure the efficacy of water conservation programs and sustainability of interregional water cooperation. Here, a water conservation compensation standard model based on the cost and contribution to benefits regarding water quality and quantity was constructed and then applied to the Paddy Land-to-Dry Land Program (PLDLP) in the Beijing-Hebei region of China. We found that the PLDLP reduced the pollution load of total nitrogen and total phosphorous to downstream areas by 27.63% and 88.53% respectively; runoff to downstream areas increased by 4.22%. Without considering the labor costs of family members, the net income of farmers decreased 41.65%, and the compensation standard was calculated at 5165.41 CNY per ha. From the perspective of social comprehensive value, income generated from becoming migrant worker was treated as an opportunity cost for farmers and under this model the net income of farmers decreased 10.99% and compensation standard was calculated at 1362.95 CNY per ha.