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| Title |  |
Assessment of participatory management of
irrigation schemes in Sri Lanka: partial reforms, partial
benefits. (Research report, 31 pages) |
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| Author | M. Samad and Douglas Vermillion | |||
| Organisation | International Water Management Institute | |||
| Year | 1999 | |||
| Summary/ Introduction |
This report presents
the results of the application of a standard methodology
developed by IWMI to assess the impact of irrigation
management transfer on the performance of irrigation
schemes. The methodology was applied to assess the impact
of the participatory irrigation management program in Sri
Lanka. The study was carried out with two objectives in
mind: first, to test the proposed methodology and second,
to determine what effects participatory management has on
the performance of irrigation schemes in Sri Lanka. The report reviews government policies on irrigation management reforms. The study contends that current policies support limited farmer participation or joint farmer-agency management of irrigation systems, rather than the replacement of agencies with farmer organizations (FOs). Even though the management of subsystems has been officially transferred to farmer organizations government intervention remains strong. The study analyzes the impact of the partial management reforms on the performance of irrigation management. The analysis is based on data obtained from a sample of 50 large- and medium-sized irrigation schemes in Sri Lanka. Impacts of reforms at the farm level are analyzed with information collected from a sample of farmers in two major schemes. Piecewise linear regression models are fitted to analyze trends in selected performance indicators during the 5-year periods before and after transfer. The analysis compares performance in four categories of schemes: those rehabilitated and transferred, those turned over but not rehabilitated, those rehabilitated but not transferred, and those without these interventions. Application of the impact assessment methodology shows that, where the required data are available, the combination of performance measures compared before and after, and with and without the intervention, can yield a comprehensive picture of the impacts of management transfer. In the Sri Lankan case, the analysis shows that there has been a significant decline in government recurrent expenditure in irrigation beginning before transfer and continuing thereafter. However, data indicate that in the transferred schemes there has been a reversal in the trend in government investments in O&M in the post-IMT period. Irrigation management transfer has not resulted in an appreciable improvement in crop yields, the quality of irrigation services, or the value of agricultural production. Also, rehabilitation alone has not created significant effects. But, where both rehabilitation and management transfer have occurred, significant improvements in agricultural productivity levels and returns to land and have been observed. The infrastructure inspections have revealed under-investment in maintenance. To eliminate the backlog of deferred maintenance, both the government and the farmers would have to substantially increase investment in maintenance. This raises concerns about sustainability of the schemes under participatory management. |
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Complete document (1,767) |
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