Search

This article sets out to contribute to the debate on the criteria for selecting members of water user associations (WUAs) for large irrigation systems in the Nepalese Tarai. From a socio-historical approach, I explore irrigation policies through the prism of intertwined scientific paradigms and social power relations specific to the Nepalese context. I show how WUA membership has been dissociated from water use and linked to land tenure. An explanation of this historical process highlights the socio-economic consequences on rural communities dependent on surface irrigation and provides a critique of the WUA model, while suggesting a way of reorienting this participatory model towards further inclusion. Cet article contribue au débat sur les critères de sélection des membres des Associations d’usagers de l’eau (AUE) des grands systèmes d'irrigation du Téraï népalais. Par le biais d’une approche socio-historique, j’explore les politiques d’irrigation sous le prisme de l'imbrication des paradigmes scientifiques et des relations de pouvoir propres au contexte népalais. Je montre comment l’adhésion aux AUE s’est dissociée de l'utilisation de l’eau pour être associée à la propriété foncière. L’explication de ce processus historique met en évidence les conséquences socio-économiques sur les communautés rurales dépendantes de l'irrigation de surface gravitaire, et permet d'esquisser une critique du modèle AUE tout en suggérant une manière de repenser ce modèle participatif vers plus d’inclusion.

Jordan’s water scarcity prompted a national plan whereby treated wastewater is utilized to amend agricultural irrigation water so as to reallocate freshwater to urban/domestic uses. The policy, however, has engendered farmers’ resistance in the Northern Jordan Valley (NJV), causing a stalemate in putting new infrastructure into operation. This research investigated the socio-economic causes of farmer resistance and contestation, and examined the government’s institutional approach to overcome the challenges. We found that the perceived risks of wastewater reuse such as salinization and restrictions from international markets figure prominently in the farmers resistance. As yet, farmers have managed to avoid the shift to treated wastewater use by using the political agency of elite farmers who control the Water Users Associations. These same farmers have adopted informal water access practices to overcome freshwater shortages. At the same time, small producers who don’t have possibilities to access extra water and with less political clout seem more willing to irrigate with treated wastewater. We conclude that understanding the heterogeneous context in which the envisioned wastewater users operate is key to predicting and solving conflicts that arise in treated wastewater reuse projects.

Communal irrigation or user-managed irrigation-also long referred to as indigenous or traditional irrigation-has been the focus of interest for two main complementary reasons: 1) from a perspective of development practice (to learn lessons from customary management of these irrigation systems); and 2) from a theoretical perspective (to explore the relationship between irrigation and society). This paper reviews the main discourses through which the category of 'communal irrigation' is politically constructed. This is done through an historical reconstruction of the three main phases during which communal irrigation was the subject of discussion-namely, in the 19th century, the 1950s to 1980s, and from 1990 onwards. The review shows that while the definition of this category has evolved over these three periods it has always served the way the state positions itself in relation to the policies to be implemented. It underlines the adaptation, resistance or decline of the systems in the present context of growing competition over water, increasingly restrictive legislative frameworks, and more wide-ranging societal change. Finally, the review argues that the normative perspective and the universalistic principles that undergird most water policies conceal the diversity of knowledge and potentially weaken customary rules and historical communal systems.

Decisions on irrigation water management are usually made at different levels, including farms, water user associations (WUAs), and regional water planning agencies. The latter generally have good access to information and decision tools regarding water resources management. However, these remain out of reach to the final water users, namely the farmers. The study, conducted in the irrigated district of Cherfech, north Tunisia, had the main objective of investigating farmer’s perceptions of, and acceptance for, the use of an irrigation advisory service (IAS) to be implemented by their WUA. The suggested IAS provides the following information: (1) reference evapotranspiration (ETo) and rainfall; (2) crop water requirement (CWR) of the most cultivated crops; (3) irrigation water requirement (IWR) of the farmer’s crop; and (4) crop monitoring and real-time estimation of IWR of crops settled, using soil moisture sensors. Such services and information would be available at the WUA level and provided in a timely manner to farmers for more effective decision making at the plot level. Prior to the acceptance study, we launched a technical study to determine the required tools and equipment required for the implementation of the IAS, followed by a farmer survey to assess their respective perceptions and acceptance towards this IAS. Results showed that only 54% of the farmers are satisfied by WUAs work, but that 77% of them accepted using the suggested IAS. Farmers are also willing to pay for most of the IAS packages suggested. The financial profitability of investing in the IAS at the WUA level shows the venture is financially viable, with a benefit cost ratio (BCR) of 1.018. The project will be even more profitable if we add the social benefits, which may result in water savings at the WUA level.

The fostering and empowerment of water user associations (WUAs) has been regulated by the Minister of Agriculture since 2012. However, the implementation of this guideline varies. Some water user associations have achieved improvement, while some others have not. This study discusses how a WUA in the villages that use Bengawan Solo River water has successfully managed the irrigation. One of the factors leading to the success of this WUA is the stakeholder engagement in the agricultural irrigation management and farm business. This study was conducted from June 2016 to June 2017 by employing a qualitative approach. It aimed to identify and understand the stakeholder engagement in agricultural irrigation management by: 1) conducting an analysis on stakeholder power and interest indices, 2) mapping the positions, responsibilities, and obligations of stakeholders, and 3) identifying the stakeholder engagement in agricultural irrigation management. The research results are as follows: a) the analysis using Likert scale showed that the power index reached a value of 0.76, while the interest index reached a value of 0.78; b) the mapping of internal stakeholders, especially the responsibilities and obligations, has been regulated under the Articles of Incorporation of WUAs and obligations of external stakeholders, especially the government in making government regulations, irrigation infrastructure support, and flood prevention; c) cooperation of the stakeholders has an important role in the agricultural irrigation management and in solving the problems faced by WUAs.

This work examines the transformations occurred with the shift from private company to water user association and natural park, looking at one collective irrigation system located in Alicante province (Spain): Riegos de Levante, Izquierda del Segura, one of the most extensive irrigation areas in Europe. Between 1918 and 2018, a process of change and transformation of both landscape and institutions occurred, considering: infrastructure expansion and its operation, the transfer of irrigation management responsibilities to water user association, after years of financial operations with water, thanks to state intervention, the coexistence of traditional agriculture with the modernisation of the irrigation systems, the history of an irrigation reservoir which was transformed into a natural site in 1988, or the evolution of the composition of water resources, taking into account the arrival of the Tajo-Segura transfer waters from the year 1979. The general objective is to understand key factors driving these changes, by means of a paradigmatic case study, as well as to identify policymaking and context-relevant dynamics that could enable it. This research was funded by the CampusHabitat5U network of excellence of Valencian public universities (https://iuaca.ua.es/es/campushabitat5u.html) and the Cátedra del Agua of the University of Alicante and the Diputación Provincial de Alicante (https://catedradelaguaua.org/).

This article shows how large-scale commercial farmers, individually and collectively, are responding to land and water reform processes in the Thukela River basin, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. With a high degree of innovative agency, commercial farmers have effectively executed four strategies, enabling them to adapt and use their access to resources to neutralize multiple water reform efforts that once promised to be catalysts for inclusive change in the post-apartheid era. It is likely that policy alone will not facilitate the envisioned transformation, if local practices are not sufficiently understood and anticipated by the governmental officials charged with the implementation of water reform processes.

Poor irrigation water management associated with water scarcity is the major reason for underperformance of most small-scale irrigation schemes in Ethiopia. In order to devise appropriate measures for rehabilitation of the failing schemes and to enhance farmers’ adaptation capacity to water scarcity, it is important to assess site specific plot and scheme level water management practices, challenges, farmers’ perceptions and adaptation strategies. So far, there is no such study in the context of Tigray, Ethiopia. A survey was conducted on 109 farmers in three groups based on the source of irrigation water, which included canal, seepage and both canal and seepage water users. Focus group discussions with elders, water users association (WUA) committee and women headed households were also made. Furthermore, random field measurements on conveyance loss, groundwater depth and quality (EC) were also taken to verify the farmers’ perception. The respondents’ perception of severe water scarcity at scheme level and poor on-farm and scheme level water management practices are among the major causes for aggravating water scarcity, crops yield decline and soil salinization were in line with field observations. Despite several adaptation strategies of the farmers at plot and at scheme level, yield is still declining. The only adaptation strategy that has been enforced by the local government authority was reduction of the irrigated land. However, in the 2016 irrigation season the farmers were allowed to make their own decisions that resulted in innovative water scarcity adaptation strategies and that doubled the irrigated land as compared to the local authority plan. This showed the significance of allowing the beneficiaries to make their own decisions. To rehabilitate Gumselassa irrigation scheme as well as to enhance the adaptation capacity of the farmers to water scarcity capacity building and empowerment of the WUA and improvement on the existing water structure is required.

The purpose of this study is to determine the role of Keujruen Blang in the implementation of agricultural extension model for rice seed farmers. Keujruen Blang is a customary institution rooted in Aceh Province, Indonesia. This study uses qualitative research method by applying case study with qualitative descriptive approach in which data processing through nonparametric statistic with data measurement using Likert Scale. The results showed that farmers still perceive the existence of Keujruen Blang in terms of; (1) set the division of water to the rice farmers, (2) determine and coordinate the schedule of planting rice (3) resolving disputes between rice farmers (4) coordinating khanduri blang (5) socializing and imposing sanctions on farmers who violate customary law and (6)) pick up small contributions to the rice farming community.Beside farmers, the role of Keujruen Blang is also felt by agricultural extension agents. They stated that Keujruen Blang was instrumental in assisting farmers, especially in regulating water and the implementation of simultaneous cultivation.This research recommends the involvement of Keujruen Blang in formulating extension work plan, implementation and evaluation of extension program to rice farmer breeders in supporting the effectiveness of agricultural extension to increase farmer production and welfare.

In the past three decades successive "Irrigation Improvement Projects" (IIP) have been implemented in the Nile Valley and Delta of Egypt. They have consisted in replacing scattered individual pumps by collective pumps serving distribution networks at the tertiary level, while ensuring a continuous flow in secondary canals, in lieu of the rotational system. This intervention has been praised as "a state-of-the-art project" spearheading the 'modernization' of irrigation in Egypt. Given their ambitious objectives and the massive investment of capital planned - the 1986 policy's target was to 'improve' one million ha by the year 2000 - these modernization efforts warrant thorough independent evaluation. This article attempts to revisit the achievements of the project after 30 years of implementation by presenting findings derived from fieldwork surveys carried out in the central part of the Delta. We document how these socio-technical innovations perform on the ground, how they change water distribution and how, in turn, they are adopted and reshaped by farmers. Understanding the contexts in which improvement projects are most beneficial, and the conditions under which such investments may be at risk, leads us to make recommendations as to how the design and implementation of these projects can be improved but also to ask whether such investment is essential for the country.

International audience; The development of irrigation in France is several centuries old. During the twentieth century the state constructed most of the irrigation networks. Individual irrigation development dates back to the 1960s and is characterized by an easier uptake of technological innovations. Today, the total equipped area is leveling off, and trends include a development of drip irrigation and the near disappearance of gravity irrigation. Public policies with a direct or indirect impact on irrigation have also changed significantly in recent decades. Agricultural policies, once very favorable to the development of irrigation, have moved to policies that are increasingly oriented toward the protection of water resources. In some basins, farmers face severe administrative reduction of their pumping authorization. Water resources management at the watershed or territory levels also changed significantly. In basins facing large quantitative deficits, special institutions are created to manage the volume of water available for agriculture. However, concerns remain regarding the effectiveness of such institutions and more generally the future of irrigation in a context of global change.

Comparative analysis of irrigation performance across irrigation systems allows determining how well a system is performing in relation to others. In this research, Akçay Right and Left Bank, Aydın and Söke Water User Associations located in Lower Büyük Menderes Basin and Menemen Right and Left Bank Water User Associations located in Lower Gediz Basin were assessed by using benchmarking applications in irrigation and drainage. As a result of the study, output per cropped area, output per unit command, output per unit irrigation supply, output per unit water consumed, relative water supply, relative irrigation supply and annual irrigation water delivery per unit irrigated area were determined as 2048-3414 $ ha-1, 1707-2824 $ ha-1,0.30-0.60 $ m-3, 0.27-0.46 $ m-3,1.02-1.60, 0.62-0.95 and 5965-11043 m3 ha-1 respectively. The main problems determined by this study are the improper use of water and inadequate water allocation especially to the downstream water user associations. Agricultural production values of the water user associations are relatively higher than those having similarities and similar functions.

This study presents an agent-based simulation of the formation of cooperation in using irrigation. The simulation model is developed based on our understanding of the underlying mechanisms by which farmer households participate the cooperation. That is, a household first becomes a potential participant when the cost of cooperation it needs to sustain is not higher than the amount it can afford or is willing to pay; and on top of this, the propensity that the household participates is heavily affected by its personal characteristics and neighborhood effects. We use model to examine the impacts of initial participants and government support on both the reach and velocity of the cooperation diffusion. The model is calibrated to villages with successfully running Water User Association in central China. Our results show that government support plays a critical role but the initial participants do not matter much for different types of initial participants and network structure of the village., Complex Adaptive Systems Modeling, 5 (9), ISSN:2194-3206

This is a handbook designed to guide governments, public authorities and other interested stakeholders in the process of designing and tendering sustainable Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements in the irrigation sector. It takes a practical, step-by-step approach in describing what a government needs to do in preparing and implementing a PPP irrigation scheme from inception. The handbook takes account of the various stages of the irrigation value chain and how to handle private sector participation in irrigation schemes of different sizes and types. It assumes that governments have already made the underlying policy decision to embark on a PPP in irrigation, and therefore does not dwell on the rationale for undertaking a PPP. The handbook’s practical aspects are contained in four, stand-alone chapters that follow an over-arching Executive Summary and an Introduction. The chapters are deliberately numbered to coincide with the four steps that a government should take in establishing an irrigation PPP: Preparation, Structuring, Procurement Management, and Implementation. In addition, each chapter concludes with a practical Checklist to help executives keep track of the necessary tasks in each step on the way to establishing a sustainable PPP operation. The chapters are designed to be read as stand-alone guides, out of an understanding that institutions using the book may already have completed prior steps. Nevertheless, it would be prudent for users to acquaint themselves with the entire handbook so as to develop a holistic view of the requirements for a full PPP project. Chapter One: Preparation is divided into two parts, A and B (each with its own concluding Checklist). Part A reviews the scope for introducing PPPs into the irrigation sector, identifying the issues that policymakers should consider from the outset in order to make the private sector’s involvement feasible with a specific irrigation project.Part B discusses the irrigation as a business. It contains a variety of case studies—the first time such studies have been documented—with discussion of lessons learned, PPP types, transfer of investment functions in developing countries, competitive bidding, and third party involvement among the subjects covered. Chapter Two: Structuring a PPP sets out the various tasks that must be completed to structure a sustainable PPP contract. Chapter Three: Managing Procurement examines how to select a private contractor, which involves such factors as the fiscal commitments to the PPP, to what extent the process should be competitive and how that might be conducted and managed, and what issues are peculiar to PPPs in irrigation.Chapter Four: Implementation highlights management of the contract and establishment of those management structures, monitoring, penalties and grantor’s rights, use of performance bonds, enforcement of customer payments, dealing with changes to the contract, and contract expiry and asset handover. The overall structure of the handbook is illustrated below. The handbook is supported by three annexes: Annex 1 explains how to use the Excel Options Assessment Tool, , and Annex 2 provides case studies of 29 existing or emerging irrigation PPPs.

"Burkina Faso is actively pursuing the implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in its development plans. Several policy and institutional mechanisms have been put in place, including the adoption of a national IWRM action plan (PAGIRE) and the establishment so far of 30 local water management committees (Comit??s Locaux de lEau, or CLE). The stated purpose of the CLE is to take responsibility for managing water at sub-basin level. The two case studies discussed in this paper illustrate gaps between the policy objective of promoting IWRM on one hand, and the realities associated with its practical on-the-ground implementation on the other. A significant adjustment that occurred in practice is the fact that the two CLE studied have been set up as entities focused on reservoir management, whereas it is envisioned that a CLE would constitute a platform for sub-basin management. This reflects a concern to minimise conflict and optimally manage the countrys primary water resource and illustrates the type of pragmatic actions that have to be taken to make IWRM a reality. It is also observed that the local water management committees have not been able to satisfactorily address questions regarding access to and allocation of water though they are crucial for the satisfactory functioning of the reservoirs. Water resources in the reservoirs appear to be controlled by the dominant user. In order to correct this trend, measures to build mutual trust and confidence among water users 'condemned' to work together to manage their common resource are suggested, foremost of which is the need to collect and share reliable data. Awareness of power relationships among water-user groups and building on functioning, already existing formal or informal arrangements for water sharing are key determinants for successful implementation of the water reform process underway."

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union there have been major changes in the agricultural sector in Kazakhstan. While during the Soviet Union agricultural production was organized in large scale state and collective farms, after independence Kazakhstan started to privatize the agricultural land and established water user associations (WUAs) on their territories. The paper critically evaluates the existing international blueprints of WUAs. The paper concludes that irrigation management transfer (IMT) should not imply rapid and complete withdrawal of the state, but that the state is, at least in the start up period, necessary to enforce accountability of new formed WUAs.

The current paper deals with an evaluation of water management through community participation and emergence of Pani Panchayat (PP) in a case study of the Vir Bajrang Bali Pani Panchayat under Lift Irrigation Project of the Hirakud Command Area (HCA), Orissa state in Eastern India . The broad objective of this paper is to examine the functioning of Water User Association (WUA) or Pani Panchayat promoted by the State and the local traditional irrigation institutions in the HCA, Orissa and to evaluate their functioning & characteristics in the context of local water management. The precise objectives are: (1) to analytically review the Orissa Farmers Management of Irrigation Systems Act and study the functioning of the Pani Panchayat, (2) to examine people's participation (3) study the apparatus of water management and control, and the impact of such management on productivity among the members and (4) to recommend policy interventions to make the formal institutions more successful. The paper concludes that the Pani Panchayats performance as regulatory institutions in charge of water distribution on equitable basis has been weak and unsuccessful. Even though the Pani Panchayat has been initiated and endorsed in the State for more than a couple of years, the acceptance of this model have been lethargic and scattered. As Pani Panchayat is a new concept needing experimentation and experience before finalisation of its content in greater detail, the irrigation agency is not in a position to spell out the different components of the programme in concrete terms. A detailed action plan should be prepared by the irrigation authority in consultation with the water users through Participatory Rural Appraisal method. A feasibility study should be under taken by examining the caste/class conflict, groupism, political differences and history of confrontation and conflict, if any. It is necessary to apply a bottom-up approach instead of a top-down one for sustainability. There must also be mechanisms to ensure that the benefits of the project are equally distributed to all concerned stakeholders.

Cette enquête porte sur les droits d’accès à l’eau qui dessinent des collectifs d’usagers structurés à une échelle locale. Ces collectifs se caractérisent par des formes d’auto-administration, qui se traduisent notamment par l’exercice de pratiques politiques. Ils ont donné naissance aux « associations syndicales ». Celles-ci ont la particularité d’ancrer les liens d’appartenance dans les choses : ce sont les terres elles-mêmes qui sont usagères de ces collectifs, les propriétaires n’étant que les hôtes passagers en quelque sorte de systèmes économiques et techniques qui les précèdent et leur succèdent. Les liens sociaux entre les propriétaires, particulièrement bien charpentés en termes de règles, de droits et d’obligations, sont inscrits dans la nature des choses et ne dépendent pas de la volonté des sujets.Cette enquête a porté l’attention sur les moments de transformation de ces associations syndicales après la Révolution française. La période du XIXe siècle a été celle de la fixation d’une histoire immémoriale de ces communautés, elle a aussi été celle de grandes transformations de ces collectifs et de leurs rapports aux autorités souveraines. Ainsi le travail des règles, leur écriture, leur transmission, constituent autant d’occasions qui témoignent de transformations des collectifs, intégrant de nouveaux membres, redéfinissant les droits et les devoirs de chacun en fonction de cette nouvelle donne, redessinant de nouveaux territoire.Nous verrons comment l’État a tenté de faire prévaloir le territoire continu du fleuve face aux territoires disjoints des collectifs locaux. Cette tentative, permettant à l’administration de s’assurer une régulation plus complète des eaux courantes, s’est heurtée cependant à des espaces de compétence partagés avec la justice civile. This text focuses deals with the access rights to water that gave birth to union irrigation associations (“associations syndicales”). The membership of these local institutions is based on things: the land itself is part of the union, when private owners are only hosts of economic and technical systems that precede and succeed them. Social ties between private owners, particularly well shaped in terms of rules, rights and obligations, are anchored in the nature of things and do not depend on the will of the private owners.Our contribution focuses on the transformation of these union associations after the French Revolution. Nineteenth century gave birth to an immemorial history of these union irrigation associations. It was also the period of great transformations of these institutions and their relationship to State authorities. The rules, their writing, their transmission, are occasions of transformation of these institutions: integration of new members, redefinition of the rights and duties of members, redefinition of their territory. We will see how the State has tried to create a river community on the scale of an entire valley, facing the disjointed territories of these local union associations. But we will see how State administration stumbled to organise and regulate these union associations primarily governed by private law.

Since the introduction of the Water Law in 2004, national river basin management in Indonesia has been carried out by 30 public river basin management organizations (RBOs), called either Balai Besar Wilayah Sungai(s) (BBWSs) or Balai Wilayah Sungai(s) (BWSs); the two are referenced together here as B(B)WSs. These national government agencies fill both regulatory and management functions, as well as undertaking construction, operation, and maintenance of river infrastructure and irrigation systems larger than 3,000 hectares. Provincial water agencies also provide water resource and river basin management in provincial basins and basins of national river territories, in coordination with the national river basin agencies.

This paper's objective is to strengthen the capacity of various institutions in the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation for sustainable water resources management, and to develop training tools for innovative techniques for further dissemination to state agencies and other stakeholders.

"In this article we use insights from institutional bricolage and actor network theory to make sense of an Andean water user association (WUA) and its bricoleurs in the Region of Ayacucho, Peru. Rather than being designed and clearly defined, we see natural resource institutions as continuously performed and patched together, through heterogeneous elements and practices, by those that live, experience and enact these institutions every day and by those who make sense of them. We present three cases, three supra-community efforts to secure water livelihoods, in which the Ayacucho water user association is enacted differently. Similar actors and practices like, water law, local customs, water bodies, and ecological services are performed in alternate ways for diverse purposes. It is this range of co-existing performances or enactments and the fluidity of actors and bricoleurs which enables an institution to adapt and adjust. We hold that an Andean WUA can be a bureaucratic imposition, but in many ways the WUA is something else too: a strategic ally; a prerequisite for subsidy consideration, a marketplace for exchanging goods and services and more. In the setting of the contemporary Peruvian Andes, the durability of natural resource institutions can be understood through the fluidity and multiplicity of performances and purposes. This has normative and political implications for researchers and policymakers as to what enactment they consider and target."

This research examines the role of small irrigation schemes (SIS) in the South African water management system. We chose to study and interpret the difficulties surrounding the creation of water user associations (WUA), undertaken following the 1998 water reform, in SIS, using a representational approach. This research consists both of a deconstruction of the South African water management policy and an exploration of farmers’ social representations using three case studies. Analysing the interpretations and choices made by officials in the definition and implementation of WUA, the study shows repeated revisions of the institution’s design leading to a gradual exclusion of SIS from participation and undermining of their capacities to contribute meaningfully to the national water management system. The study of farmers’ social representations is conducted using an innovative research design combining discursive and visual methods. It shows depersonalized representations of water management isolated from the concept of control. This concept, central to the political discourse, is at the very core of the difficulties surrounding SIS participation in the national water management system: it symbolizes the discrepancies between farmers’ and officials’ representations and the marginalisation of SIS. Our research concludes by proposing a redefinition of the role of existing irrigation committees in SIS neglected by the water reform until now. It proposes to transform irrigation committees into sub-committees of the WUA, to make them both independent and integrated, to allow them to drive SIS participation, and to establish them as intermediaries between farmers and the national water management policy.; Cette recherche porte sur la place des petits périmètres irrigués (PPI) dans le système national de gestion de l’eau en Afrique du Sud. Nous avons choisi une approche par les représentations pour étudier et expliquer les difficultés rencontrées au sein des PPI par la création des water user associations (WUA) prévues par la réforme sur l’eau de 1998. Cette étude mène en parallèle un travail de déconstruction de la politique publique sud-africaine et un travail d’exploration des représentations sociales de petits agriculteurs. L’analyse des interprétations et des choix réalisés par les politiques dans la définition et la mise en place des WUA met en évidence une négation progressive de la capacité de participation des PPI par le biais de révisions successives du modèle de WUA. L’étude des représentations des agriculteurs est menée à l’aide d’un protocole de recherche novateur combinant méthodes discursives et visuelles. Elle révèle des représentations de la gestion de l’eau dépersonnalisées et dissociées du concept de contrôle. La notion de contrôle, centrale au discours des politiques, cristallise les problèmes rencontrés dans la participation des PPI au système national de gestion de l’eau : elle est la marque d’une divergence de représentations entre politiques et agriculteurs et la marque de la marginalisation des PPI. Notre recherche conclut en proposant de redéfinir le rôle des comités d’irrigation existants au sein des PPI mais oubliés de la réforme sur l’eau. Elle propose d’en faire des sous-comités des WUA à la fois indépendants et intégrés, des catalyseurs de la participation des PPI, et des intermédiaires entre agriculteurs et politique nationale de gestion de l’eau.

The paper assesses the performance of Water User Associations (WUAs) in the Republic of Macedonia. We assess performance in terms of membership rates, the satisfaction of members with their WUA and payment behaviour. Econometric analysis reveals that membership and satisfaction are positively related to farm size. Satisfaction and payment behaviour are strongly linked to structural and relational dimensions of social capital, particularly trust in senior managers of the WUA and the transparency with which resources are utilised. The conclusion highlights the importance of local factors in determining the success of WUAs. Dieser Beitrag fokussiert die Performanz von Water User Associations (WUAs) in Mazedonien. Diese wird bewertet anhand von Mitgliedschaftszahl, der Zufriedenheit der Mitglieder sowie Zahlungsverhalten. Die ökonometrische Analyse ergibt, dass Mitgliedschaft und Zufriedenheit positiv durch die Größe des Betriebes beeinflusst werden. Zufriedenheit und Zahlungsverhalten zeigen sich stark verbunden mit strukturellen und relationalen Charakteristiken von Sozialkapital, hier insbesondere dem Vertrauen in das Seniormanagement der WUA sowie der Transparenz der Ressourcenverwendung. Diese Ergebnisse betonen die Bedeutung lokaler Faktoren im Hinblick auf die Bestimmung des Erfolges von WUA.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Public Management and Administration))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010. This study is an investigation into water management policies in South Africa, their effect on water users and the perceptions users have of these policies. The investigation begins with an exposition of concepts such as water demand management (WDM), as well as integrated water resource management (IWRM). A sub-discourse of the main theme is the societal tendency to neglect its common property. Garret Hardin's groundbreaking observations on the "tragedy of the commons" (1968) are explored in an effort to locate issues of relevance in effective water management strategies. In contemplating the commons, it is evident that aspects of morality and ethics are involved. The morality of a society be it in a global or national context, seems to manifest itself in legislation and policies, and in the way these are implemented. The relevance of good governance, hydropolitics and sustainable development is also discussed to provide the necessary theoretical background to an understanding of the relationship between consumers and the water commons. Access to safe drinking water is protected in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act, 108 of 1996. Flowing from the government's obligation to take reasonable legislative and other measures to achieve the progressive realisation of fundamental human rights stipulated in section 27(2) of the Constitution, the challenge since 1994 has been to provide access to water for all inhabitants and to manage the available water resources effectively. Furthermore, the objective of subsequent water legislation such as the National Water Act, 36 of 1998 and regulatory plans, like the National Water Resource Strategy has been to incorporate international trends in water governance. The Department of Water and Environmental Affairs (DWEA) divided South Africa into 19 regions, called water management areas (WMA). In this study, attention is focused on what constitutes a catchment and how a catchment management agency (CMA) governs its water resources. A description is provided of the functions of water user associations (WUAs) and how ththe Lower Orange Catchment Management Area is, for example, the blueprint from which stakeholders develop their goals. In this study, the water situation in the Lower Orange Water Management Area is under scrutiny. The focus is on the three main institutional components of water management (the Lower Orange catchment management, the Upington Islands Water User Association [UIWUA] and the //Khara Hais Local Municipality). The progress of the establishment of the Lower Orange Catchment Management Agency is outlined over a period of five years. Meanwhile, the Upington Islands Water User Association was developed and this has grown in stature. The work being done by these institutions is investigated by looking at grassroots effects, especially in respect of irrigation activities. The unique water management circumstances of the //Khara Hais Local Municipality are then investigated along with the plans outlined in their Integrated Development Plan {lOP) and their Water Services Development Plane Internal Strategic Perspective (ISP) of(WSDP). Because local irrigation operations consume most of the available surface water in the Lower Orange Water Management Area, irrigation farmers and their activities warrant closer attention. A historical overview is given of the development of irrigation in the region followed by an assessment of the role of two of the most prominent historical figures in Upington, Reverend Adriaan Schroder and Abraham "Holbors" September. Ultimately, however, the focus falls on the current state of irrigation in the area. It is possible to distinguish between the approach of large commercial farming operations and that of smaller irrigation farming units to irrigation. Specific attention is given to the perceptions of irrigation farmers as far as the policies and legislation pertaining to water issues is concerned. This study will hopefully provide the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs(DWEA), //Khara Hais Local Municipality and organised agriculture with some recommendations on efficient integrated water management strategies. It might well be of value to other municipalities who are experiencing similar problems. The aim has been to identify typical problems and potential disputes between water management institutions and relevant role-players. Doctoral

The objective of this study is to assess the performance of irrigation water management of the Bursa-Karacabey irrigation scheme (KIS) located in the western Turkey. The study was carried out in two stages. In the first stage, performance of irrigation water management was assessed using two physical and three financial performance indicators for six years during the period 2002-2007. According to the results, the physical performance indicators, which are average irrigation ratio and relative water supply, were found to be 61% and 0.77, respectively. Nevertheless, the financial performance indicators, which are the effectiveness of fee collection, the financial self sufficiency of fees collected to cover management, operating and maintenance budgets, and the staffing number per unit area were found as average 103%, 0.94 and 0.003 persons/ha, respectively. In the second stage, the irrigation water management was tested and assessed by the Logit model taking farmers perceptions concerning satisfaction with taking irrigation service. The probability of the satisfaction in irrigation fee policy and maintenance of irrigation and drainage canals was significant at 0.01 and 0.05 levels, respectively. Most of participants (80%) who use water from the KIS have been satisfied with taking service from the Karacabey Water Users' Association. According to the research results, it may be claim that the management with regard to physical performance was negative; on the other hand, the management with regard to financial performance and water user satisfaction was positive.

Water User Cooperative Society (WUCS) is an organization of water users administered using the principles of Cooperation. In the Cauvery Basin of Karnataka, 581 WUCS have been registered under Cooperative Society Act. To study the activity and the progress of WUCS, information was collected from the President / Secretary of thirty WUCS in Krishnarajasagar (K.R.S.) and Kabini command of Cauvery basin. Using cluster analysis, WUCS with similar characteristics (explanatory variables) were grouped into three clusters. First cluster of WUCS (20%) is characterized as well performing, with lowest transaction cost of forming WUCS (3 months), high cooperation and fund availability. Second cluster characterized as moderate WUCS (20%) had a transaction cost of 3 months with a total fund of Rs. 21,283. Third cluster as poor performing WUCS (60%) had highest transaction cost of 5 months with fund availability of Rs. 21,950. The head and tail reach farmers of Active-WUCS, Active with conjunctive WUCS (Active-CU WUCS) and Passive-WUCS command were interviewed personally (90 sample farmers). The return of Kharif paddy per rupee of CostB2 in Active-CU-WUCS (1.25) was higher than the Passive-WUCS (1.23) and Active-WUCS (1.18). Similarly, tail reach farmers of Active-CU-WUCS received net returns of Rs. 2,301, followed by Active-WUCS (Rs. 398), but Passive-WUCS incurred economic loss of Rs. 73. ANOVA indicated significant difference in net returns per acre per annum among three WUCS (1%), and t-test indicated significant difference between “Active-CU-WUCS and Passive-WUCS” and “Active-WUCS and Passive-WUCS.” The discriminant function analysis indicated that, the size of holding and the ratio of area irrigated by borewell to total area were the major factors in discriminating members and non-members. Logit regression function for willingness to pay water rate for assured summer irrigation as dependent variable showed, land holding of the farmer and distance of the farm from canal as significant factors. WTP additional water rates for assured irrigation was estimated using Tobit regression which indicated that land holding of the farmer, use of borewell Irrigation and distance of the farm from canal were the significant factors influencing the farmers’ willingness to pay., Economic impact of Water users cooperatives: Institutional and economic dynamics in Cauvery Basin, India

International audience; This article examines the characteristics of management in long-enduring water user associations through an analysis of the sustainability of the French irrigation water user associations (ASA). Today, a quarter of France's irrigable area is managed by nearly ASAs. In this article, we present the five design principles of their legal and regulatory framework that reflect the public authorities desire to control the future of ASAs. We illustrate how ASAs institutional principles conform to the sustainability conditions defined in the field of institutional economics and describe the limitations of these principles showing how the rigidity of their legal framework can hamper their ability to cope with present day challenges. Several factor explaining short term management strategies incompatible with long-enduring are presented and discussed.

In the human environment there is a tendency to refer to resources, such as land and water which do not specifically belong to any single individual, as the ‘commons’. Garret Hardin wrote his famous paper called: “The Tragedy of the Commons” in which he highlighted the problem inhabitants of the world face regarding the growing population and depletion of natural resources. He proposed that limits must be placed on the liberal use of natural resources, which usually involve some kind of legislation. South Africa, as a semi-arid country, needs to manage the water as a commons to ensure that all inhabitants of the country have access to safe drinking water as instructed by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act No. 108 of 1996 and subsequently preserved in the National Water Act No 36 of 1998. The significance of Hardin’s theory to South Africa becomes evident in the necessity of the mentioned acts, which involve the establishment of Catchment Management Agencies (CMAs) and Water User Associations (WUAs). These institutions must ensure the involvement of all stakeholders and water users to manage the resource optimally. Establishing these institutions, however, proved to be difficult and their efficiency questioned, thus illustrating a “tragedy within the tragedy”. This article considers the case of the Lower Orange Catchment Management Agency and the Upington Islands Water User Association in the //Khara Hais local municipality, to illustrate the thus far failing efforts taken by this region to manage the water resource.

This study aims at investigating into the history of the Canal of Carpentras and the Canal of Manosque, that are two traditional surface irrigation systems managed by an irrigation water user association. Those two associations have played and are still playing a major role in the lands where those networks bring water, over a unique agricultural use and over the strict irrigation scheme. Those networks are both located in the Durance river basin in the South-East of France, separated one from the other by a hundred kilometres. Considering their evolution from their creation up to now, turn into light a statement that we are willing to understand: Why did those two associations of Carpentras and Manosque, so much similar when they were created and during their first evolutions, then make the choice of such different hydraulic and organisational development paradigms? Why did their evolutions have led them to such contrasted situations, considering their technical and administrative management, or the internal institutional framework that turned to be developed? By considering the history of those two canals, first independently, then comparatively, we can see that those two associations reached different steps of maturity, by defending choices during crisis situations where great changes in their management were necessary. Then it appears that the socio-economical and institutional environment of those associations highly contributes to make problems emerge and solutions developed. It appears also that periods of technical innovations and periods of institutional do alternate, with interdependency and resilience. At last, the comparative history of those associations' evolution underlines the great importance played by the couple President / Technical manager, the synergy that is able to be generated from the complementarity of their skills if a common strategic vision is shared upon the future of association's development, and finally the situation of weakness in which is placed such associations when one of those two determinant persons is leaving the association., Cette étude vise à retracer l'histoire des canaux de Carpentras et de Manosque au regard des innovations techniques et institutionnelles mises en place. Ces deux associations jouèrent et jouent encore un rôle majeur dans les territoires qu'elles irriguent, bien au-delà du strict périmètre irrigué qu'elles ont vocation de desservir en eau d'irrigation. Ces deux périmètres irrigués sont situés dans le bassin versant de la Durance, séparés d'une centaine de kilomètres. De cette évolution entre leur création et aujourd'hui, il ressort un constat que nous cherchons à comprendre : Pourquoi ces associations de Carpentras et de Manosque, en de nombreux points comparables au moment de leur création et de leurs premiers développements, ont ensuite fait le choix de paradigmes de développement hydraulique et organisationnel si différents, et ont aujourd'hui évolué vers des situations à ce point contrastées, que ce soit dans leur gestion technique et administrative, ou dans les configurations institutionnelles qui se sont développées en leur sein ? En retraçant l'histoire de ces deux canaux, indépendamment l'une de l'autre, puis de manière comparative, il apparaît d'abord que ces associations ont gagné en maturité au cours du temps, en devant affirmer des choix face à des situations de crise où des ruptures dans leur mode de gestion étaient nécessaires. Il apparaît ensuite que l'environnement socio-économique et institutionnel entourant ces associations joue un rôle essentiel dans les problèmes qui émergent et dans les solutions qui sont adoptées. Apparaissent également des phases d'alternance entre innovations techniques et institutionnelles, ainsi que des relations de dépendances et des résiliences qu'elles entretiennent les unes vis-à-vis des autres. Enfin, l'histoire de l'évolution de ces deux associations révèle toute l'importance du couple Président-Gestionnaire technique, la synergie qui peut naître de la complémentarité de leurs compétences s'ils défendent une vision stratégique commune de l'avenir de l'association, et enfin la situation fragile et la période particulièrement sensible qui caractérise le changement de tout ou partie de ce couple pour une association

This study aims at investigating into the history of the Canal of Carpentras and the Canal of Manosque, that are two traditional surface irrigation systems managed by an irrigation water user association. Those two associations have played and are still playing a major role in the lands where those networks bring water, over a unique agricultural use and over the strict irrigation scheme. Those networks are both located in the Durance river basin in the South-East of France, separated one from the other by a hundred kilometres. Considering their evolution from their creation up to now, turn into light a statement that we are willing to understand: Why did those two associations of Carpentras and Manosque, so much similar when they were created and during their first evolutions, then make the choice of such different hydraulic and organisational development paradigms? Why did their evolutions have led them to such contrasted situations, considering their technical and administrative management, or the internal institutional framework that turned to be developed? By considering the history of those two canals, first independently, then comparatively, we can see that those two associations reached different steps of maturity, by defending choices during crisis situations where great changes in their management were necessary. Then it appears that the socio-economical and institutional environment of those associations highly contributes to make problems emerge and solutions developed. It appears also that periods of technical innovations and periods of institutional do alternate, with interdependency and resilience. At last, the comparative history of those associations' evolution underlines the great importance played by the couple President / Technical manager, the synergy that is able to be generated from the complementarity of their skills if a common strategic vision is shared upon the future of association's development, and finally the situation of weakness in which is placed such associations when one of those two determinant persons is leaving the association; Cette étude vise à retracer l'histoire des canaux de Carpentras et de Manosque au regard des innovations techniques et institutionnelles mises en place. Ces deux associations jouèrent et jouent encore un rôle majeur dans les territoires qu'elles irriguent, bien au-delà du strict périmètre irrigué qu'elles ont vocation de desservir en eau d'irrigation. Ces deux périmètres irrigués sont situés dans le bassin versant de la Durance, séparés d'une centaine de kilomètres. De cette évolution entre leur création et aujourd'hui, il ressort un constat que nous cherchons à comprendre : Pourquoi ces associations de Carpentras et de Manosque, en de nombreux points comparables au moment de leur création et de leurs premiers développements, ont ensuite fait le choix de paradigmes de développement hydraulique et organisationnel si différents, et ont aujourd'hui évolué vers des situations à ce point contrastées, que ce soit dans leur gestion technique et administrative, ou dans les configurations institutionnelles qui se sont développées en leur sein ? En retraçant l'histoire de ces deux canaux, indépendamment l'une de l'autre, puis de manière comparative, il apparaît d'abord que ces associations ont gagné en maturité au cours du temps, en devant affirmer des choix face à des situations de crise où des ruptures dans leur mode de gestion étaient nécessaires. Il apparaît ensuite que l'environnement socio-économique et institutionnel entourant ces associations joue un rôle essentiel dans les problèmes qui émergent et dans les solutions qui sont adoptées. Apparaissent également des phases d'alternance entre innovations techniques et institutionnelles, ainsi que des relations de dépendances et des résiliences qu'elles entretiennent les unes vis-à-vis des autres. Enfin, l'histoire de l'évolution de ces deux associations révèle toute l'importance du couple Président-Gestionnaire technique, la synergie qui peut naître de la complémentarité de leurs compétences s'ils défendent une vision stratégique commune de l'avenir de l'association, et enfin la situation fragile et la période particulièrement sensible qui caractérise le changement de tout ou partie de ce couple pour une association

Gelismekte olan ülkeler kadar gelismis ülkeler de sulama ücretlerinin uygun seviyesi ve su ücretleri için kullanılacak araçları belirlemede uzlasma saglayamamıstır. Suyun fiyatı, su kayıplarını azaltma, sulama kurumunun finansmanı ve sulama yatırımlarından yararlananların geri ödemesi gibi farklı amaçları içerebilmektedir. Bir çok ülke artan nüfus baskıları ve su kıtlıgını içeren sulama suyu düzenlemelerinde baslıca araç olarak sulama ücret yöntemlerini kullanmaktadır. Dogru fiyatları olusturma suyun etkin olarak tahsisatında arzu edilen bir durumu olusturmaktadır.Ancak, bunun nasıl yerine getirilecegi tartısmakonusudur. Bu çalısmada;Aydın Ovası Sulama Birligi tarafından bitki desenine baglı olarak birim sulanmıs alan yöntemi temel alınarak belirlenen sulama ücretleri ile sulama sebekesine saptırılan sulama suyunun birim maliyeti göz önüne alınarak hesaplanan sulama ücretleri arasındaki iliski arastırılmıstır. Incelenen yıllarda, Aydın sulama sebekesi yerçekimsel ve pompaj sulama alanlarında bitki desenine baglı olarak sulanmıs alan yöntemi ile belirlenen sulama ücretleri, birim su maliyetine göre hesaplanan sulama ücretleri ile örtüsmemektedir. Özellikle, pompaj sulama alanlarında sulama birligi tarafından belirlenen sulama ücretleri olması gerekenin altında gerçeklesmistir. Bu neden ile Aydın Ovası sulama birligi, sulama ücretlerini belirlerken bitki desenine baglı olarak bitkinin birim alan su kullanımı ile suyun birim maliyetini temel alarak hesaplanan sulama ücretlerini kullanmalıdır. In developed as well as developing countries, there is disagreement regarding the appropriate means by which to price water and appropriate level of water charges. The pricing of water may involve different objectives, such as cost recovery, financing the irrigation agency or reducing wastage of water. In addressing water scarcity and increased population pressures many countries are adopting water-pricing mechanisma as their primary means to regulate water consuption. Getting prices right is seen as a desirable way to allocate water efficiently, but how to accomplish tho remain a debatable issue. In this study, it was investigated in relation to between water charges based on the method unit irrigation area, depending on the kind of crops irrigated by Aydın Plain Irrigation Associtiation (APIAs) and the water charges calculated according to unit water cost of the irrigation water diverted the network. The water charges determined by the APIA , according to unit irrigation area, depending on the kind of crop irrigated in gravitation and pump irrigation area of the Aydın Plain irrıgation network are not to compete with the water charges calculated to the unit water cost. Particularly, the water charges determined by the APIAs in the pump irrigation areas are fairly lower than the charges calculated to unit water cost; however, while the charges are determined by APIAs, the water charges based on the unit square water use of crops, depending on the kind of the crops and unit water cost are to be used.

This presentation describes several experiences with payments for environmental services from Latin America, including water payments in Quito, Ecuador, that are used to conserve the mountain areas from which the city draws most of its water. The profiled projects are: PES-1 (Payments for Environmental Services Associate Award)

Chapter 4 Turkey is classified as a relatively water-abundant country with an average of 3,900 cubic meters per person per year availability of potential water resources. The potential cannot be fully developed, and the availability is not evenly distributed in time and space. Usable potential is 1,830 cubic meters per person per year, and 30 percent of this potential was consumed in 1993. The share of the agricultural sector in total consumption is around 75 percent. Lack of well-defined property rights and centralized supply management hinder the efficient use of already developed water resources.