Institutional opportunities and constraints in the performance of farmer-managed irrigation systems in Nepal

Abstract

This paper presents a brief overview of the institutions involved with interventions in irrigation sector development along with the process of intervention in Asia in general and Nepal in particular. The context of irrigation management is then described, and the social and institutional factors affecting performance of farmer and agency-managed irrigation systems are examined. Based on an analysis of 231 farmer-and-agency managed irrigation systems in Nepal, the important result of the study is that farmer-managed irrigation systems with stronger institutional bases such as effective imposition of fine, social sanctions and employment of local monitors created a conducive environment for rule-following and mutual trust among the users, and yielded higher irrigation performance. The policy implication of the study is that social and institutional support are important aspects of irrigation management; and thus, improving irrigation management suggests a socio-technical approach emphasizing variations in both physical structure and human dimensions of user activities which can produce productive, equitable, cost-effective and ecologically sound irrigation performance.