During the 1980s, as part of a policy of liberalization, following budgetary cuts linked to the implementation of structural adjustment programs, management responsibilities for AHAs were transferred from ONAHA to coo...During the 1980s, as part of a policy of liberalization, following budgetary cuts linked to the implementation of structural adjustment programs, management responsibilities for AHAs were transferred from ONAHA to cooperatives concerned. Due to lack of financial resources, but also because of poor management, everywhere in Niger we are witnessing an accelerated deterioration of the irrigation infrastructure of hydro-agricultural developments. Institutional studies carried out on this situation led the State of Niger to initiate a reform of the governance of hydro-agricultural developments, by streng-thening the status of ONAHA, by creating an Association of Irrigation Water Users (AUEI) and by restructuring the old cooperatives. Indeed, this research aims to analyze the creation of functional and sustainable Irrigation Water User Associations (AUEI) in Niger in a context of reform of the irrigation sector, and based on the experience of the Konni AHA. It is based on a methodological approach which takes into account documentary research and the collection of data from 115 farmers, selected by reasoned choice and directly concerned by the management of the irrigated area. The data collected was analyzed and the results were analyzed using the systemic approach and the diagnostic process. The results show that the main mission of the AUEI is to ensure better management of water, hydraulic equipment and infrastructure on the hydro-agricultural developments of Konni. The creation of the Konni AUEI was possible thanks to massive support from the populations and authorities in the implementation process. After its establishment, the AUEI experienced a certain lethargy for some time due to the rehabilitation work of the AHA but currently it is functional and operational in terms of associative life and governance. Thus, the constraints linked to the legal system, the delay in the completion of the work, the uncertainties of access to irrigation water but also the problems linked to the change in mentality of certain ONAHA agents constitute the challenges that must be resolved in the short term for the operationalization of the Konni AUEI.展开更多
This paper examines how farmers in central Lombok have organized themselves to manage agricultural water colle- ctively and to adapt to seasonally dry conditions. We interviewed eighteen village heads from October to ...This paper examines how farmers in central Lombok have organized themselves to manage agricultural water colle- ctively and to adapt to seasonally dry conditions. We interviewed eighteen village heads from October to December 2006. One of our questions we posed prior to field interviews was what might be the social and technical coping strategies that have allowed farmers to survive the lengthy dry seasons under the high population density of Lombok island. Some examples of organizational structure and practices in Central Lombok are presented. There were several common water management strategies that were revealed from these interviews including: methods of organization, flexible cropping systems, water allocation mechanisms, methods of compromise, alternative payments, and traditional water management practices. The statistical analysis comparing village characteristics and coping strategies suggests a relation between mosque number per village and farmers ability to cope. Farmers have shown their own unique coping strategies in times of water shortages and under decentralization occurring over the past decade. This decentralization involved turning over small scale irrigation systems (under 500 hectares), to the water user associations themselves in order to facilitate more efficient management and maintenance.展开更多
文摘During the 1980s, as part of a policy of liberalization, following budgetary cuts linked to the implementation of structural adjustment programs, management responsibilities for AHAs were transferred from ONAHA to cooperatives concerned. Due to lack of financial resources, but also because of poor management, everywhere in Niger we are witnessing an accelerated deterioration of the irrigation infrastructure of hydro-agricultural developments. Institutional studies carried out on this situation led the State of Niger to initiate a reform of the governance of hydro-agricultural developments, by streng-thening the status of ONAHA, by creating an Association of Irrigation Water Users (AUEI) and by restructuring the old cooperatives. Indeed, this research aims to analyze the creation of functional and sustainable Irrigation Water User Associations (AUEI) in Niger in a context of reform of the irrigation sector, and based on the experience of the Konni AHA. It is based on a methodological approach which takes into account documentary research and the collection of data from 115 farmers, selected by reasoned choice and directly concerned by the management of the irrigated area. The data collected was analyzed and the results were analyzed using the systemic approach and the diagnostic process. The results show that the main mission of the AUEI is to ensure better management of water, hydraulic equipment and infrastructure on the hydro-agricultural developments of Konni. The creation of the Konni AUEI was possible thanks to massive support from the populations and authorities in the implementation process. After its establishment, the AUEI experienced a certain lethargy for some time due to the rehabilitation work of the AHA but currently it is functional and operational in terms of associative life and governance. Thus, the constraints linked to the legal system, the delay in the completion of the work, the uncertainties of access to irrigation water but also the problems linked to the change in mentality of certain ONAHA agents constitute the challenges that must be resolved in the short term for the operationalization of the Konni AUEI.
文摘This paper examines how farmers in central Lombok have organized themselves to manage agricultural water colle- ctively and to adapt to seasonally dry conditions. We interviewed eighteen village heads from October to December 2006. One of our questions we posed prior to field interviews was what might be the social and technical coping strategies that have allowed farmers to survive the lengthy dry seasons under the high population density of Lombok island. Some examples of organizational structure and practices in Central Lombok are presented. There were several common water management strategies that were revealed from these interviews including: methods of organization, flexible cropping systems, water allocation mechanisms, methods of compromise, alternative payments, and traditional water management practices. The statistical analysis comparing village characteristics and coping strategies suggests a relation between mosque number per village and farmers ability to cope. Farmers have shown their own unique coping strategies in times of water shortages and under decentralization occurring over the past decade. This decentralization involved turning over small scale irrigation systems (under 500 hectares), to the water user associations themselves in order to facilitate more efficient management and maintenance.
