Policy implications for the adoption of participatory irrigation management in Nigeria

Abubakar Sadiq Zubair, Kuper Marcel. 2003. Policy implications for the adoption of participatory irrigation management in Nigeria. In : Promotion of participatory irrigation management in Hadejia Valley Irrigation Project, Nigeria : experiences on approaches, lessons and prospects. Synthesis book. Abubakar Sadiq Zubair (ed.), Kuper Marcel (ed.). Ahmadu Bello University, CIRAD, HJRBDA. Samaru : Ahmadu Bello University, 217-239. ISBN 978-060-332-8

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Résumé : The idea of "Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM)", is aimed at enhancing capacity building or local empowerment of the irrigation users'. It will also promote sustainable management of irrigation systems. It requires an , institutionalized arrangement by establishing a formal mechanism for interaction between farmers and the irrigation agency. This has to be done through an organized channel such as Water Users' Associations (WUAs). The WUAs when established, will discuss, negotiate, participate in decision-making and mobilize resources towards operation and maintenance with the agency on issues concerning irrigation management. If WUAs are established, the role of the irrigators as an organized group becomes very important. Major decisions regarding irrigation management would be taken by the irrigation organization composed of farmers' representatives who should be formally elected by members for a definite tenure. Ostrom (1993) reported that "the WUAs would have the characteristic of (a) direct involvement of the irrigators, (b) effective monitoring and sanctioning, and (c) holding officials accountable". The WUAs when established would become self-regulating, self-supporting, and self-governing on issues concerning irrigation management, whereas the irrigation agency will play a regulatory role. The WUAs would be responsible for all day -to -day activities on operation and maintenance of the irrigation system. For an irrigation system to effectively operate, users must have the organizational capacity to (i) maintain the physical facilities in terms of operation, maintenance, construction and design of the system, (ii) look into the system performance through efficient management considering conflict resolutions, communication, resource generation, and decision making, and (iii) co-ordinate water use activities with respect to acquisition, allocation, distribution and drainage management. Therefore, PIM helps in promoting self-reliance, social justice, peoples' organization, and capacity building on irrigation management issues. One means by which PIM can successfully be achieved is by moving away from conventional agency dominance in management, towards participatory approaches that combine the social experience, sharing of knowledge and understanding of irrigation users or farmer groups as a unit.

Mots-clés Agrovoc : programme d'irrigation, gestion des eaux, approche participative

Mots-clés géographiques Agrovoc : Nigéria

Mots-clés complémentaires : Association d'usagers de l'eau

Classification Agris : P10 - Ressources en eau et leur gestion

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