identification of membership consequences in water users associations (case study: lishter plain, gachsaran township)

water user associations (wuas) are the main strategy in water resources management, and transferring of irrigation management to these associations is paying attention in different countries. the current study aimed to identify and analyze membership consequences in wuas. the research was descriptive and survey method was used. the population of this study consisted of all farmers in irrigation and drainage networks of lishter and kheirabad in gachsaran township in the kohgiloyeh and boyerahmad province (n=572). using krejcie and morgan’s (1970) table and stratified random sampling technique, 219 farmers were selected as sample (n=230). questionnaire was the main tool for data gathering. content and face validity of the questionnaire were confirmed by a panel of expert consisting of faculty members of tarbiat modares and yasuj university. the reliability of the questionnaire confirmed by calculating crobnach’s alpha (0.86) in pre-test stage. data were analyzed using spss 19 software. based on the results of factor analysis increasing in farmer’s information and communication, reduction in farmer’s costs, increasing in production and improvement in water resources management, strengthening of social capital, and reducing government’s costs are positive consequences and conflict between farmers is negative consequences of membership in wuas. based on the research findings, some suggestions are presented for facilitating the development and establishing of wuas.