Knowledge and attitudes of French and Israeli 12th graders in agricultural or rural secondary schools about water and irrigation related issues

Abstract

In arid countries, the use of water by agriculture raises important social. economic. and moral issues. This study attempted to compare the knowledge and attitudes of agricultural secondary schools 12th graders in Israel (essentially a Mediterranean arid or semi-arid country) with those of comparable students in France, a country where water is not a central limiting factor in agriculture, concerning six aspects of the use and misuse of water by agriculture. Students were required to assess the desirability of existing situations, the possibility to change them, and the potential influence of five factors of change (scientific knowledge, government authorities, social customs, laws of economics, and the individual citizen). The Israeli students systematically put a strong emphasis on scientific knowledge and authorities. The reactions of the French students were weaker than those of the Israelis. Also, there were only two aspects in which they considered that any of the factors could have a significant influence. And finally, the individual citizen, and not scientific knowledge or authorities, was regarded by the French students to be the potentially most influential factor - actually the only one.