Iran is located in arid and semi- arid zones of the world. Water shortage is the most impeding obstacle in agricultural development. In spite of water deficiency, irrigation is carried out through surface methods with a maximum efficiency of not more than 60 percent. Sprinkler irrigation application seems to be a suitable measure in increasing this efficiency. This survey was carried out to identifj the behavior of farmers in sprinkler irrigation technology adoption in Ardebil Province. Farmers were divided into 3 groups of adopters, abandoners after adoption, and non- adopters. In addition to 20 adopters (all adopters) a group of 140 farmers including 80 abandoners and 60 non- adopters were randomly selected from among the research population. Results indicated that there were not statistically significant differences among the three groups as to access to either agricultural research stations or extension service centers. Adopters were a group of farmers with less experiences in agriculture, but they were more educated. They possessed larger farms including irrigated fields and rain fed lands. Lands were more fragmented with less traveling distances between them. These were more informed of irrigation, specially, sprinkler irrigation technique than the other two groups. Such awareness enabled them to solve problems occuring after installation of equipment on the farms. On the other hand, weakness in awareness has affected abandoners’ decisions to reject the technology. Nevertheless, all the respondents demonstrated a positive attitude towards an optimum use of irrigation water. The relationships between contact with agricultural officers and extension agents as well as between training programs of radio and T.V., and farmers’ adoption behavior were not statistically significant while, differences were significant with respect to ability to read written materials on irrigation.
)