Water

Nepal’s irrigation systems suffer from underperformance, especially because of the poor linkages between irrigation and agriculture. Irrigation infrastructures, agriculture inputs, and marketing and support services are all important elements in increasing productivity. Farmers need better access to credit, good quality fertilizer and seed, exposure and training in new crops, and better farming systems. Since 1995, the Government of Nepal has been addressing irrigation underperformance through management and structural improvements and policy reforms. Participatory management has been adopted as a distinct policy option towards this initiative.

The PDA will help evaluate the potential for and merit of building multifunctional water users associations (WUAs) in Nepal’s irrigation systems. It will enumerate the factors promoting, supporting and/or constraining the processes towards evolution of multifunctional WUAs.

The study is important for achieving the outcome of the Community Managed Irrigated Agriculture Sector Project (CMIASP) in Nepal, which aims to enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability of farmer-managed irrigation systems by providing improved measures for irrigation infrastructure, agricultural development, and livelihood enhancement. WUAs are empowered to manage the irrigation, agriculture, and livelihood enhancement activities for each subproject. CMIASP seeks to strengthen WUAs to take an active and effective management role.

• Literature review on experiences with multifunctional WUAs
• Process documentation report focused on factors, environment, and prerequisites that help multifunctional WUAs to evolve
• Interim Guideline Reports with recommendation for adjustments to CMIASP subprojects
• Good practice publication
• Enhanced engagement of WUAs in managing the irrigation, agricultural, and livelihood enhancement activities in CMIASP subprojects, eventually leading to evolution of multifunctional WUAs

• Proposal [ PDF ]