Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) was adopted in Thailand in 2004 to encourage the efficient use of water in the agricultural sector. PIM refers to the participation of water users at all phases of irrigation management such as planning, operation, maintenance, monitoring, and evaluation. The purpose of this research was to understand the relationships between public participation, learning, and the implementation of more sustainable water practices through PIM in Thailand. Two integrated water user groups (IWUGs) were selected from the Krasiew Reservoir, Suphanburi Province. Data collection included document review, semi-structured telephone interviews, semi-structured face-to-face interviews, observation, and informal meetings. Case study data showed that after the water allocation and delivery schedule were developed and agreed on by the Joint Management Committee for Irrigation members, the final water delivery pattern at each canal was made by a majority vote among members at an IWUG general meeting. The final water allocation strategy at each canal was based on a discussion among IWUG committee members. Water user group (WUG) chiefs and WUG members were responsible for designing their own water allocation pattern and schedule for ditches. Results showed that participating in PIM activities fostered both instrumental and communicative learning among PIM participants. The instrumental learning outcomes included: new skills and information; the development of political, legal, economic, social, or administrative procedures; a determination of the cause-effect relationships; and task-oriented problem solving. The communicative learning outcomes involved: a better understanding of the issue at hand; a more critical understanding of themselves or situations; insight into the interests of others; communication strategies and methods; and comparative reflection. Findings also revealed that local farmers had begun implementing more sustainable water practices after receiving comprehensive water information through PIM. This helped develop an understanding of a reservoir as a finite water resource. As a result, water saving awareness was fostered among farmers in order to maintain a water supply for all crop seasons. In addition, communicating compassionately through participating in PIM activities could foster further social action. The 2005 water crisis in the irrigation area was another factor which triggered a sense of urgency about the need for water conservation.

Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) was adopted in Thailand in 2004 to encourage the efficient use of water in the agricultural sector. PIM refers to the participation of water users at all phases of irrigation management such as planning, operation, maintenance, monitoring, and evaluation. The purpose of this research was to understand the relationships between public participation, learning, and the implementation of more sustainable water practices through PIM in Thailand. Two integrated water user groups (IWUGs) were selected from the Krasiew Reservoir, Suphanburi Province. Data collection included document review, semi-structured telephone interviews, semi-structured face-to-face interviews, observation, and informal meetings. Case study data showed that after the water allocation and delivery schedule were developed and agreed on by the Joint Management Committee for Irrigation members, the final water delivery pattern at each canal was made by a majority vote among members at an IWUG general meeting. The final water allocation strategy at each canal was based on a discussion among IWUG committee members. Water user group (WUG) chiefs and WUG members were responsible for designing their own water allocation pattern and schedule for ditches. Results showed that participating in PIM activities fostered both instrumental and communicative learning among PIM participants. The instrumental learning outcomes included: new skills and information; the development of political, legal, economic, social, or administrative procedures; a determination of the cause-effect relationships; and task-oriented problem solving. The communicative learning outcomes involved: a better understanding of the issue at hand; a more critical understanding of themselves or situations; insight into the interests of others; communication strategies and methods; and comparative reflection. Findings also revealed that local farmers had begun implementing more sustainable water practices after receiving comprehensive water information through PIM. This helped develop an understanding of a reservoir as a finite water resource. As a result, water saving awareness was fostered among farmers in order to maintain a water supply for all crop seasons. In addition, communicating compassionately through participating in PIM activities could foster further social action. The 2005 water crisis in the irrigation area was another factor which triggered a sense of urgency about the need for water conservation.

<p>India and many other developing countries confront serious problems of declining water tables. In India there is no real water shortage, but ineffective use of surface water leads to freshwater run-off. By building dams and irrigation water systems the Indian government has been trying to find a more effective use of surface water and thereby increase the agricultural productivity. But mismanagement of irrigation systems by local governments called for alternative management techniques, and during the last decades the central Indian government has been trying to decentralise management and governance of irrigation water to local water users. This Minor Field Study (MFS) focuses on a local implementation of Participatory Irrigation Management in the Indian state Madhya Pradesh. The aim of the thesis is to analyse the way the local government handles the decentralisation of irrigation water management, by identify and illuminate communication channels. The thesis is built on the basic idea that functioning environmental communication is the key to reach a functioning decentralised and sustainable water management. Interviews with local government officials, citizens of a local village, and staff from a locally involved NGO within a case study constitute most of the empirical data. Theories of decentralisation of natural resource management, community participation, communication, and NGO cooperation are presented. With starting point in the empirical material and the presented theories has way the local government handles the decentralisation process, and the role of the locally involved NGO, been analysed. The study shows shortcomings in: education of stakeholders, communication training among government officials, trust in the capability of local water users, and communication between stakeholders. The study also enlighten the government officials fear of losing political power, the NGOs role as communication channel, and the formation of locally rooted organisations.</p>

India and many other developing countries confront serious problems of declining water tables. In India there is no real water shortage, but ineffective use of surface water leads to freshwater run-off. By building dams and irrigation water systems the Indian government has been trying to find a more effective use of surface water and thereby increase the agricultural productivity. But mismanagement of irrigation systems by local governments called for alternative management techniques, and during the last decades the central Indian government has been trying to decentralise management and governance of irrigation water to local water users. This Minor Field Study (MFS) focuses on a local implementation of Participatory Irrigation Management in the Indian state Madhya Pradesh. The aim of the thesis is to analyse the way the local government handles the decentralisation of irrigation water management, by identify and illuminate communication channels. The thesis is built on the basic idea that functioning environmental communication is the key to reach a functioning decentralised and sustainable water management. Interviews with local government officials, citizens of a local village, and staff from a locally involved NGO within a case study constitute most of the empirical data. Theories of decentralisation of natural resource management, community participation, communication, and NGO cooperation are presented. With starting point in the empirical material and the presented theories has way the local government handles the decentralisation process, and the role of the locally involved NGO, been analysed. The study shows shortcomings in: education of stakeholders, communication training among government officials, trust in the capability of local water users, and communication between stakeholders. The study also enlighten the government officials fear of losing political power, the NGOs role as communication channel, and the formation of locally rooted organisations.

The Participatory Irrigation Management approach was introduced into Cambodia in 2000, which was called the Participatory Irrigation Management and Development (PIMD). The goal of PIMD is to establish Farmer Water User Communities (FWUCs) to take over the management of irrigation schemes in their district in order to improve the performance of irrigation schemes and farmers’ livelihoods. The implementation of FWUCs has resulted in both failure and success. Several studies have identified factors that influence the failure of FWUCs, but little research has focused on their success. By employing a single embedded case study approach, this research selected the most successful scheme in Cambodia to identify factors that influenced the success of the FWUC in irrigation management. The findings of this research could provide concrete assistance to the government, donors, and non-governmental organisations in improving the performance of less successful FWUCs in Cambodia. The result of this research showed that the success of the O-treing FWUC was influenced by five internal and two external factors. The internal factors were: 1) the level of local participation, 2) the governance and management of the scheme, 3) the value of the benefits that flow from the irrigation scheme, 4) the quality of the irrigation infrastructure, and 5) the characteristics of the farmer members within the scheme. The external factors were: 1) the level of external support provided to the scheme, and 2) market access. The success of the FWUC required farmer participation and this participation was enhanced when farmers obtained benefits from it. This research also found that access to markets was critical to make the benefits that flowed from the irrigation scheme more profitable to farmers, leading to farmer participation. Similarly, it was also important to make sure that the irrigation infrastructure was of a high quality to ensure the delivery of an adequate and timely supply of water to farmers so that they could grow crops that provided them with the benefits. This required external support from the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, NGOs, and local authorities to help rehabilitate the scheme. External support was also critical for enhancing the governance and management of the scheme through assistance with the formation process, provision of financial resources, capacity building, rule enforcement, and conflict resolution. The governance and management of the scheme, in particular the leadership capacity of the FWUC was another critical factor because it ensured the maintenance and development of the irrigation infrastructure, the timely and adequate supply of water to farmers, farmers’ trust and respect for leaders, and farmer participation. Finally, the success of the FWUC could not be viewed independently from farmer characteristics within the scheme. Farmers tended to participate in irrigation management when they had a history of self-organisation, when they were relatively homogenous, and when they were dependent upon farming for their livelihoods. This research suggests that the successful implementation of FWUCs requires a focus on the seven factors and the interactions that occur between these factors. Irrigation stakeholders such as the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, donors, NGOs, local authorities, local leaders, and farmers should work together to enhance these factors in order to ensure the success of FWUCs.