Brief description of documents

     However, there are still serious weaknesses, and a risk that if irrigation development is not wisely managed it could undermine existing institutional strengths. Institutional reforms for cooperatives and irrigation management companies to adjust to a market-oriented economy are still incomplete. Much infrastructure is in poor condition, and funds, equipment and skills for improvement are scarce. Government policies promising to fund costs of major construction may create expectations which exceed government capacity, while discouraging local efforts. Rice yields are still low relative to other countries in the region. Export quotas and other characteristics of the agricultural marketing system keep farmgate prices far below export prices, weakening the incentives for farmers to increase production. Water fees are inadequate to cover operating costs in many areas. Institutions for coordinating water management among multiple irrigation teams and communes need further development.

     Efforts to improve participation can draw on a variety of experience, within Vietnam and in many other countries. As a basis for stimulating discussion during the seminar this paper outlines several key sets of opportunities.

1. Federated organizations can be formed by representatives of existing irrigation teams, to create better institutions for participatory management of canals and schemes covering multiple communes. These may simply provide more formal forums for consultation in irrigation scheduling or be organizations which can take over management of medium-scale schemes and secondary canals.
2. Increased responsibilities can be transferred to local management, creating a better balance of local incentives and capacity with irrigation management company responsibilities and capacity. This includes both transfer of new responsibilities as well as formal recognition of roles already played in operation of tertiary gates and secondary canals.
3. Management transfer can be supported by appropriate training, monitoring, technical guidance and other measures to strengthen the capacity of irrigation teams and irrigation management companies. Team performance can be strengthened by ensuring that irrigation team leaders are locally elected and accountable for their performance. Irrigation teams and cooperatives need full financial autonomy in collecting fees, paying for services and financing improvements.
4. Rehabilitation and tertiary development can continue and deepen use of participatory approaches in design and construction, particularly through village level meetings and field walkthroughs, to ensure thorough consultation. Design criteria and investment levels need to be appropriate to local conditions and management capacity.
5. Further management reforms of irrigation management companies could consider representation of farmers and other stakeholders in irrigation company management boards and other organizations, e.g. in basin management, as well as the possibility of transferring even large schemes to farmer-controlled water management entities.

     Pilot projects can play a valuable role in trying out new ideas. Working groups, including university researchers and NGOs, can help guide pilots, draw lessons from pilot efforts and formulate recommendations for reforms in policies and institutions. Caution should be exercised to avoid excessive levels of resources and attention which would make pilots impossible to replicate. Regional and local diversity means that the goal be should not be a single uniform model, but instead a menu or toolkit of approaches and techniques, which can be customized to local conditions, to achieve the goal of creating effective continuing improvements in operation and maintenance, irrigation performance and farmer welfare.

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