Organizational Change for Participatory Irrigation Management

if total collection is 50-60 percent of annual billings, 5 percent if annual collection is 60-70
percent, and 10 percent if annual collection is 70-90 percent, and 15 percent if annual
collection is over 90 percent of annual billings (see Table 2 for a comparison of irrigation fee
collection under the LCISC and the IAs of FIOP).
A comparison of data in Table 2 indicates a very marked increase in irrigation collection
efficiency in the period 1989-92 compared to 1982-88. From 1982 to 1988 the average
collection efficiency was 27.2 percent. In 1989 the results of FIOP began to take effect. The
average collection efficiency increased to 60.6 percent in the period 1989-92.
Instead of an average annual deficit of P=1,097,670 during the previous years, the system
posted an average annual surplus of P=1,114,890 from 1990 to 1992. Judging from the great
improvement in the payment of irrigation fees one may conclude that although more
improvement is needed, the IAs organized under FIOP are more effective than the LCISC, and
that farmers are generally more satisfied with their performance. Like those in the smaller
pump systems, farmers now want to fully take over the main system and are now holding
meetings to define terms and conditions to be proposed to the NIA.
LESSONS LEARNED
For those who are establishing joint management of irrigation systems between
government irrigation agencies and farmers irrigation associations, the LCPIS experience offers
the following lessons:
The process of organizing the farmers is crucial. It is necessary to build the IA from the
bottom by first organizing TSAs through farmer participation in activities that develop
the farmersí capacity to make group decisions and to establish proper criteria and
procedures for choosing TSA leaders. In most cases, these activities would be on
planning and implementation of improvements to the irrigation facilities to make the
system responsive to farmers' needs. Farmer participation should include decisionmaking
in the identification and prioritization of problems, planning solutions and
improvements and arrangements for takeover of O&M by the farmers.
Organizing of the farmers should be done with a well-trained catalyst. An alternative
to professional catalysts (community organizers) is the use of well-trained farmer
organizers as in the LCPIS. In government-managed irrigation systems, potential farmer
organizers can be selected by the irrigation agency staff who are familiar with the
farmers and the problems and needs of the irrigation system.
The higher levels of the organization should be established only after the TSAs have
been established with good, responsible leaders. The role and selection of the TSA
leaders is crucial in planning and implementation of water distribution, maintenance, and
conflict management and irrigation fee collection. The TSA leaders should be members
of the BOD or of the management and decision-making body of the organization and the
operative committees at the top should be replicated from the base so that plans and
decisions can be effective. The importance of the standing committees should be
emphasized as it provides for leadership development within the TSAs and the entire IA.
Sufficient lead-time should be provided for organizing the farmers before they go into
contracts for joint management and undertake construction of improvements to the
irrigation system. In the LCPIS, it took almost a year of organizing and training work
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