mishqui-yacu, sweet water - IFAD

Nevertheless, most small producers in the Highlands have not been able
to benefit from any investments aimed at increasing production. Food production
for national consumption cannot meet demand; in several rural
areas, there has even been a drop in production. In the Cañar area, products
such as wheat, which once was a main crop, have lost importance primarily
due to state-subsidized imports.
International development agencies, as well as some government institutions
and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), have tried to counter
this deteriorating situation. Numerous experiments and investigations
have been carried out. Annual reports seem to concur that efficient irrigation
is the most critical concern of Andean farmers. 27
Irrigation systems have existed in Ecuador since pre-Columbian times.
However, until 1944, irrigation was developed exclusively through private
initiatives. In that year, a National Office for Irrigation (ONR) was founded.
In 1966, ONR was replaced by the Ecuadorian Institute for Hydraulic
Resources (INERHI), which plans and builds irrigation projects in addition
to monitoring and overseeing the use of water resources. 28
Any person familiar with water management at the grass-roots level
knows that huge investments in irrigation inevitably face a wide range of
problems. INERHI-executed projects have often encountered serious problems,
mainly owing to a lack of cooperation from farmer communities.
Conflicts have frequently arisen among beneficiaries. Lack of organization
among irrigation users has inhibited efficient water management. Bad
maintenance has destroyed valuable infrastructure. The so-called tertiary
systems, small canals reaching the farmers’ plots, have often not been built,
since such work requires efficient organization among beneficiaries. 29
Water management calls for discipline, solidarity and social skills.
Cement and good engineering are not enough to create functional irrigation
systems. Cooperation among all the parties involved is essential.
Openness and social skills are probably the most decisive factors in makeing
irrigation systems effective.
31
26
27
28
29
DHV Consultants (1995), p. 165.
de Janvry and Glikman (1991), pp. 224-27. Thirty-one per cent of the cultivable land is
irrigated. Thirty per cent of this water is used by more than 70% of the agriculturists,
while 70% is used by big plantations (Cisneros et al. (1999), p. 5).
de Janvry and Glikman (1991), p. 228.
Ibid., p. 270. In 1994, INERHI was replaced by the National Council for Hydraulic
Resources (CNRH) (Cisneros et al.) (1999), p. 5. The Ecuadorian State has initiated a
process of institutional transformation, delegating several formerly state-controlled
activities to municipalities, NGOs, civil society and the private sector. INERHI (CNRH)
has on several occasions been mentioned as one of the organizations that ought to be
removed from state control (IFAD (1995), p. 20).