Abstract:Collective governance is an important way to solve the problem of the absence of the governance body in charge of small-scale irrigation and water conservancy facilities and achieve the virtuous cycle of facilities being used and managed. Using the micro survey data of 723 households in Ningxia,Shanxi,and Shandong provinces along the Yellow River basin,considering the factors of general morality and public leadership,a multi-group structural equation model was selected to the collective governance of small-scale agricultural water based on the data of the household agricultural income in particular provinces. The results showed that generalized morality and public leadership can significantly boost collective action and governance performance. Collective action has significant and positive effects on collective governance performance. The public leadership and households’ generalized morality promote each other remarkably. The multi-group analysis showed that the household agricultural income level in certain provinces can significantly regulate the collective action and governance performance of small-scale irrigation and water conservancy facilities. Therefore,in view of the agricultural income in different regions the government can promote the collective governance of small-scale irrigation and water conservancy facilities by deepening the cultivation of generalized morality,training village leaders,and encouraging village elites to govern villages.