Farmer-led Water User Associations in Agricultural Water Management

2018 ◽  
pp. 223-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rami Zurayk ◽  
Azza Dirar
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Participatory Approaches ◽  
Water User Associations ◽  
Agricultural Water Management ◽  
Water User ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Precious Resource ◽  
Implementation Experience

Since agriculture consumes the largest share of the world’s water, farmers undoubtedly play an instrumental role in the management of this precious resource. As such, various policy approaches have sought to engage farmers in the management of water for irrigation. There is much literature on policy approaches that devolve irrigation management to farmers through organizing them into ‘water user associations’ and mobilizing them into cooperative water resource management. When the implementation experience and success of these approaches are assessed, the results show a great variation in experience with overall limited success. The key challenges stem from various assumptions underlying the policy approaches, namely the way in which farmers are conceptualized as a homogenous group of ‘water users’. Cooperative and participatory approaches to natural resource management cannot be institutionally manufactured without addressing key political ecological realities and the wider contexts in which ‘resource users’ operate.

scholarly journals Stakeholder engagement in a water user association for agricultural irrigation management in the villages in Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 181-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rustinsyah Rustinsyah ◽  
Ratna A. Prasetyo
Keyword(s):  
Stakeholder Engagement ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
User Association ◽  
Agricultural Irrigation ◽  
Water User Associations ◽  
Water User ◽  
Water User Association ◽  
A Value ◽  
The Government ◽  
Internal Stakeholders

Abstract 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.

scholarly journals Water Allocation Based on Economic Criteria Using Aquarius Model (A Case Study in Ambang-Brantas subbasin, Indonesia)

Agromet ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 89
Author(s):  
I Putu Santikayasa ◽  
. Agis ◽  
Siti Maesaroh
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Water Resource ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Water Demand ◽  
Water Allocation ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Economic Approach ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Promising Tool

<p>The use of economic approach on water allocation are inclusively becoming integrated on water resource management. Competing among water users is expected to escalate due to increasing water demand despite of limited water availability. This research used economic approach aiming to optimize water allocation in Ambang-Brantas subbasin, Malang, and to calculate the total benefit for different sectors of allocated water. We distinguished two scenarios (2012–2015 and 2016–2035) to reflect the existing and the future water allocation. We modelled the water allocation with the Aquarious application. In this subbasin, three main sectors of water users were identified i.e. domestic, agriculture, and industries. The results showed that the agricultural sector was the highest water demand compared to other sectors. This finding was consistent both monthly and annually. Our findings revealed that industries sector show the maximum benefit per unit water used. Based on the scenario, either a decreasing water availability by 10% or an increasing water demand by 10% will decline the total benefit by 44%. If we increase the scenario to 20% it will reduce the total benefit until 71%. This modelling exercise using Aquarius application shows that the model is a promising tool for water resource management with integration of economic approach.</p>

scholarly journals Role of Water User Associations on the Restoration of the Ecosystem in Tanzania

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Happyness Ngonyani ◽  
Khaldoon Mourad
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystem ◽  
Sample Population ◽  
Water User Associations ◽  
Water User

The Mkoji sub-catchment is the most populated sub-catchment in the uppermost part of the Rufiji basin in Tanzania, with critical users downstream, and it is vulnerable to water shortages. Despite the efforts made by governmental and non-governmental organizations in forming and supporting water user associations, little is known about their role on water resource management in the country. This study aimed to investigate the role of water user associations on the restoration of decreased environmental flow and degraded aquatic ecosystems in Tanzania, taking the Mkoji sub-catchment as a case study. Six water user associations were assessed, focusing on their strategies and influence on restoration, land use, ecosystem degradation, and their role in climate change mitigation strategies. Data were collected from various sources using interviews, focus group discussions and questionnaires. The Spearman correlation test was used to seek the relationship between the flow and the aquatic ecosystem. Statistical results showed that there was no correlation between the flow and rainfall, and there was a correlation between freshwater ecosystems and the flow. The results showed that 89% of the sample population accepted the decrease of the flow while 75% accepted the decrease of the fish catch in the freshwater ecosystem of the study. Based on the results obtained, the paper concluded that water user associations are doing a great job in management and restoration while politics, funding, and water permits were the main obstacles. Therefore, the government should play a role in restoring the ecosystem, bridging the gaps between farmers and animal keepers, land use planning, and developing aquaculture.

Institutions and transition: does a better institutional environment make water users associations more effective in Central Asia?

Water Policy ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Gunchinmaa ◽  
M. Yakubov
Keyword(s):  
Central Asia ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Irrigation Performance ◽  
Kyrgyz Republic ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Internal Operations ◽  
Soviet Central Asia ◽  
Water Users Associations

Integrated water resource management (IWRM) is a widely recognized management framework that is currently being adopted throughout post-Soviet Central Asia to inform and guide national water sector reforms, and to keep up with the pace of the faster moving land reforms taking place in the region. With hydrographic principles and public participation being at the core of this framework, the process in the region has started with the reform of on-farm irrigation systems by creating water users associations (WUAs), transferring irrigation management to them and introducing irrigation service fees. This paper draws on the experiences, over four years, of three study WUAs set up in the Ferghana Valley in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic. Aiming to explore the differences in institutional environment and arrangements in these three countries for establishing WUAs, as well as assessing WUA performances (particularly from users' perspectives), the study reveals that it is not only the newly-established institutional arrangements in the irrigation sector but also their internal operations, coupled with other important factors such as size of area farmed, overall viability of agriculture and a wider economic context that crucially determine overall irrigation performance.

scholarly journals Participatory Exclusion in Water User Associations: A Subaltern Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-38
Author(s):  
K. Gulam Dasthagir
Keyword(s):  
Ground Water ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Democratic Participation ◽  
Canal Water ◽  
Water User Associations ◽  
Water User ◽  
Water Sharing ◽  
Participatory Irrigation Management ◽  
Caste Discrimination

Although Participatory Irrigation Management envisions democratic participation and equity in water sharing among farmers , this article while investigating the challenges of Dalit farmers in Water User Associations and access to surface or ground water for irrigation, espouse the perpetuation of ‘Participatory Exclusion’ of Dalit farmers in canal water sharing and rights in water user associations . Since caste discrimination is embedded in modern user organizations, participatory exclusion of Dalit farmers operates at all levels of membership, participation and representation in PIMinrural Tamil Nadu.

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