Legal Reforms and Multi-functional Water Users Associations (WUAs) to manage water and agriculture support services Chhattisgarh (India) experience C.M. Wijayaratna Team Leader, ADB-TA: Water User Empowerment, Chhattisgarh Irrigation Project, CIDP, India
Distribution of Irrigation Systems Chhattisgarh
PIM: Strengthening Institutional Capacity and Policy - Chhattisgarh PIM Act More Inclusive WUAs Voting Rights to women {First time in India} Minimum 1/3 of women in the Management Committee and ALL other sub committees {Note: A Pre-election Awareness Campaign was conducted with ADB assistance. 1/3 women elected in the first WUA election in 2007} Proportionate Representation of Lower Castes Tenants in the General Body Adequate representation from Head, Middle and Tail reaches in the Managing Committee No authoritative powers to WUA President
The New Act Expands the Scope of WUAs and to Serve Members as a Business Entity: Providing input supply services (CIDP organized this) Output marketing services (CIDP organized this) Involve in agricultural value-added production to increase incomes WUA can do supplementary business like fisheries The Act Paves the Way to Increase Government and WUA Revenue: Reasons: Fee collected by WUA Revenue shared by farmers and Government Farmers plan, decide and undertake O&M at WUA level with technical inputs from WRD Sense of ownership developed (They collect and share) O&M and farmer incomes improve due to PIM and therefore, farmers capacity to pay will be enhanced
Intensive Intervention Programme, IIP - Strategy Water management, Agriculture Support Services and WUA Strengthening are Integrated Planned Intervention: Community Organizers, COs and Senior COs (assisted by TA Consultants, NGO Agric. Extension Specialists) are the key Catalysts. As PIM is new, WUAs are weak, status of Agric. & Water Mgt. is weak and farmers are poor (and many are tribal), handholding approach is followed in the IIP.
Strategy and Process Continued.. WUA Learn-by-doing. Very little formal training (e.g. Finance Mgt, Gender, Special Livelihood activities) Collective Action: Multi-functional WUAs manage water: a) allocation at source, b) distribution, & c) organize agriculture inputs & extension to match water with complementary inputs on-farm. Objective is to achieve System-wide impact in terms of total production and profits. Consultants demonstrate \ Implement what they advocate Participatory Assessment and Ranking WUAs and Facilitators (healthy competition and transparency) Vertical Integration: WUA Minor FO Dist. FO System FO. (for water and other inputs)
WUA-Managed Collective Action / Interventions Focus on Irrigation System-wide Interventions Managing Kharif for Rabi : Advancing and shortening Kharif to save water (minimize the use of reservoir water and maximize the use of rainfall) by: a) planting early (Advanced Nurseries), b) same age-group varieties by all, c) Reduced staggered cultivation, Follow-up crop using residual moisture-further saving water WUA managing Command Area Development,WUA organizing FFSs for improved package of crop practices/technology WUA-managed input-output services, processing/valueaddition; WUA-Private Sector Partnerships, Participatory M&E
Some Promising Results WUA with equal participation of women and disadvantaged groups Developing confidence in PIM Kharif rice yield x 78% (from 2.8 to 5 t/ha) Irrigated CI at 100% Rabi CI at 10% (up to 2010) Last Rabi-25%. This Rabi-50% Crop diversification WUA-managed input-output marketing
6.00 Kharif (Wet Season) Yield ( t/ha) in Irrigation Systems 2006 (Base Year) to Year 2011 Yield (t/ha.) 5.00 4.00 3.00 2.00 2.80 3.62 4.01 5.00 4.32 5.40 Yield (t/ha) 1.00 0.00 2006 No Intervetion 2007 11000 ha. (7 Systems) 2008 25000 ha. (25 Systems) 2009 25000 ha. (25 Systems) 2010 100000 ha. (69 Systems) 2011 90835 ha. (55 Systems) Year
1200000 1000000 800000 Kgs. 600000 400000 Fertilisers Organised by WUAs, Classified by SCO Clusters 624650 594150 827217 1128600 733650 1117200 396100 294300 Raigarh Bilaspur & Janjgir Champa Bilaspur (Ghonga) Kabirdham Raipur (Kasdol) Raipur 200000 0 112100 58600 Mahasamun d Durg Rajnandgao n Name of Clusters Kanker & Bastar
AREA UNDER PADDY SEED PRODUCTIONN (in ha.) 3000 3000 2500 Area (in ha.) 2000 1500 1000 607 Area under Paddy Seed Producti 500 98 0 Kharif - 2010 Kharif - 2011 Target for 2012 Year
NO. OF SYSTEMS UNDER SRI YEAR 2010, YEAR 2011 AND TARGET FOR YEAR 2012 60 46 55 50 No. of Systems 40 30 20 11 Kharif - 2010 Kharif - 2011 Target for 2012 10 0 Kharif - 2010 Kharif - 2011 Target for 2012
Rabi 2011-12 Planned Extent 100000 90000 80000 70000 60000 50000 40000 30000 20000 10000 0 90835 Command Area (ha.) 22907 Designed Rabi area after R&U (CIDP) (in ha.) 50460 Planned Rabi by tank Water and conjunctive use (Residual Moisture and/or wells)
Major Lessons (Depending on the situation) a Planned Intervention-Catalytic approach would yield quick and cost-effective results Beneficial to integrate WUA strengthening with agriculture and water management interventions Interventions aimed at System-wide impact WUAs as Multifunctional Organizations for Behavioural changes and Productivity Gains The Need for an alternative Executing Agency OR Structural Reforms (Need to develop a sustainable Institutional Home for WUAs) Utilizing WUA-Network for Agriculture Support Services by Government Agencies
WUA as a Multi-Functional Organization OPEN MARKET WATER USERS / FARMERS Value Addition Private Company Organize Production Provide services: inputs Information,Transport, Collection etc Sell Inputs Purchase through Forward contracts Multi-Purpose WUA Hiher Level Farmers Organization OR Private Sector Sell Products and Services through contractual agreements Value addition Government/Projects Provide Revolving Funds and MANAGEMENT INPUTS FACILITATION (Catalyzing / Mentoring & Tech. Assistance) Other Service Providers Irrigation Department DA, Other Government Agencies, Private sector
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