Irrigation management, Farmer managed irrigation systems, Privatization, Farmer participation, Indonesia, West Java, West Sumatra

Vermillion, D.

English

Research Papers in Economics

Articles &.  ISB"LIes 
In  this  section  three  research 
popel'S  are  presented,  and  one  brief 
"issue."  This  section  will  be  a 
regular  feature  of  the  Newsletter 
depending  upon  the  contributions 
received. 
Each  of  the  follo,""ing  three  papers 
deals  with  H  different  type  of  FMIS. 
Doug  Vermillion  discusses  systems 
which  ure  currently  managed  by  an 
ogency,  bul  will  grndual1y  be  turned 
over  lo  furmers  under  8  ne\o>'  program. 
M.  Veny.atu  Reddy  describes  river 
pump  systems  in  Karnal:lka,  1ndia. 
Thif:!  type  of  FHIS  if;  f0und  aU  over 
lhe  world,  but  is  often  neglected  amid 
lhe  f;ommon  l:ilereolype  of  run-of-lhe­
r'iver  diversion  l:iysteros. 
Bryon  Bruns  discusses  irrignlion 
which  may  be  "invisible"  to  those 
looking  ftlr  physical  structures.  The 
number  and  extent  of  FMIS  in  many 
coulltl'ies  varies  cO[lsiderably,  depend­
ing  upon  whether  or  not  these  systems 
are  included  in  the  definition. 
ANOTHER  TYPE  OF  FHIS: 
GOVERNMENT  SYSTEMS  TURNED 
OVER  TO  FARMERS 
Beginning  in  mid-1987  the  In­
donesian  Government  Department  of 
Public  Works  (DPU)  is  initialing  a 
pilol  project  in  Wel:il  Java  and  West 
Sumnlra  to  turn  over  full  O&'M 
conlrol,  and  perhaps  ownership  of 
system  assets  as  well,  to  lhe  woter 
users.  The  Ford  Foundation  is 
providing  financial  and  advisory  support 
to 	 DHSisl  lhe  development  of  concepts 
and  methodologies  for  the  program. 
Funds  for  implemtotnlalion  are  expected 
rrom  planned  and  existing  loans  from 
lhe  World  Bank  and  lhe  Asian 
Development  Bank,  which  have  slrongly 
endorsed  the  new  turnover  policies. 
IIMI  will  be involved  in  the  pilot 
project  by  conducting  aclion  resea:t'Ch 
and  helping  develop  the  turnover 
procesl5  for  n?lional  application.  This 
is. consider ed  to  be  lhe  first  phase  of 
a  nat lar,-wide  program  to  tu;'n  over 
mr.pt,  if  not  all,  government  irrigation 
syc'!.,eO!i  below  first,  150  hecthres,  and 
then  systems  belween  150  and  500 
haclnres in  size. 
Allh·,ugh  systems  below  500  ha 
C(Hl1{:.1'18e  only  abDul  18.7'%  of  the  total 
de6ir n  ~!~ea  of  all  governrr.cnl  syslems 
in  Jndc'ncsia,  Oley  constilute  70%  of 
all  govC'I'nn,cnt  syslems  (4:717  of ~ 
f,7~'11'  HenCE,  this  program  ,,'m  hove 
fUf·-rc:"ching  i~ripIi('LUon5  for  how  the 
gc',c:rn1Lult  and  L.r-ITlc.'!'"s  will  inleracl 
in  the  future  in  rnaN'ging  waler  within 
sycLer:8  and  alone  liver courses and  in 
dt'Bigning,  constructing,  maintaining 
Hnd  rdwbiliLaling  systems.  Through 
the  turnover  progrum  the  DPU  hopes 
to  decrease  the  excessive  O&'M  burden 
on  the  government  and  allow  Cor  more 
inlensive  usc  of  government  resources 
in  the  larger,  more  "technical" 
systems. 
The  turnover  preparation  process 
will  involve  irrigation  system  inven­
tories  of  river'  eourt:;es,  socio-lechnical 
profiles  of  eligible  systems,  lissisling  t 
water  users  to  organize,  where  \ 
appropriate,  and  working  together  with 
fanners  to  design  and  construct 
needed  physicsl  improvemenl!:>.  The 
aim  is  to  prepare  fW'rrrers  to  take  over 
full  O&M  conlro]  and  ensure  lhe  long­
term  Buslainability  of  the  systems. 
How  ekrr,cnts  of  this  process  are 
applied  locally  and  what  the  farmer 
manugement  roles  wiH  be  afler 
turnover  will  depend  primarily  on  the 
following: 
1) 	 Syst.em  pbysio-lechnical  chilrac­
teristics  (such  as  tt.€'  nature  of 
the  waler  source(s)  and  su~)ply, 
sediment  load  and  type  of  weir 
or intake), 
10 2) 	 Demonstrated  fa rmer  manr,ge ­
ment  chpabilitics  and  l Lcir 
willingness  to  t " ke  Civer  full 
respons ~ bilily for  O&'M, 
3) 	 How  the  system  was  incorpo­
raLed  into  the  DP U,  and 
1) 	 HisLorically,  \hc  naturc  of  wa ter 
users' dependency on  DPU. 
Regarding  these  four  typcn  of 
characterislics,  t hc :'c  is  g reat  d : ·,\ u "sity 
among  ull  irr igution  B,)- ste  ms  '''''l'ch 
~ ' 	 be  eligible  for  turnover.  ~:.!lnc 
stems  have  hi,;!!  t::cdiwc- nl.  J  ::-, ::;  c;  ~ '  in 
their  water  sup~ ,  1iC!;  Efl0./Gr  fu  de: nt 
f1oodillg,  others  do  nolo  Mm,i  B£"u.ll 
s~' stcms  huve  fre(~  inl::::h.c i:;,  (·; t.8 n 
consisting  otlly  of  pi i(; s  of  LnJ Hh 
andsluncs.  Some  havc  ce ment  ,",'c  I,rs 
and  adjustable  gat.es.  S:::>me  s y stems 
have  uctive  water  users'  nssoc:';,Uc'ns, 
others  do  nolo  j\1anagcmcnl  tacks  fli:1y 
be  handled  formall)  or  informally, 
col1eclively  or  individually,  or  not  al 
all. 
There  arc  at  least  five  ways  in 

which  FMIS's  have  become  incorpora­
into  the  DPU.  These  arc  listed 

trom  low  to  high  levels  of 

and  directness  of  governmenl 

Ivestment: 
Simple  rcclassification  on  paper 
from  u  FMIS  to  a  DPU  8ystCDI 
(pcrhapt;  for  policy  or  budgctury 
reasoliS). 
Reclussification  to  u  DPU  system 

due  to  construction  of  a  watcr 

supplementation  structurc  at  the 

inter-system  or  river  course 

level, 

RecIaSli!fica tion  due  to  DPU 

assib~ance in  system  repair, 

Technical  or  managerial  "upgrad­

ing"  of  8  farmer  system,  typical 

of  the  Scdcrhana  Irrigation 

Program  (e.g.,  from  temporary  to 

11 
"p ,:.> r ... :inent "  lrl::!f.ed1l1s,  adjusLahility  of 
R '  f'. ~ p~- .  me::surnb ility  of  d i8 1~, h e  " gc,  or 
n ~:<: ~gmnb of  DPU  sWf  to  the  system), 
t~ nd 
5) 	 t;(;nRLruction  or  8;  new  6y8t.cm  by 
the  gon:rr.mc n t. 
The ,.  term  "!Y.rld l'}  .L~~k "  s ystems  to 
fan-',.;. [3  may  be  np pE'opr bte  for  the 
C .  ~ .; t  th  rc'c  t ypcf;  br d  p ::irtit,ll y  80  for 
UH'  f ('l l.-.!' t h  t ype.  1,2(81) Se  t h , ::: y  wcre 
c:  nnlj ;,  F'l";:::::fS.  S,pd.crrw  also  very 
· .U;  '':,( ': L  :,7:.)1y  in  t:w  ongoing  lcvels, 
f'  ?'~ '2: t ~  , ~{;  .  ' ~ c y  and  j ', ~t d  r"'e  ()1  g  ' .~:" V · ( · r nment 
'  J.  :' ~ :  '  ~'~l U)t  of  t'·,:r. :"  or  cGLverscly 
it:  t · -,in  t he  (1',,[' : ee  o f  farmer 
j  "  j  "  "le' ,'r" ,;{.  en  lhf'  f  f l V  ' . fTn"  .. nL  Such 
II  , · t:.~ r~ - '·  ~::( : nt  r ().1c E - .  lL :  ~ l  c('n: . ;  ·~ s t  C)(  one­
L ",c'  V"  per iod ie  f"<.C: p[(!.r  or  regular 
: ;  "i n tem~ nc€  of  i rltab's  or  u.n~'.I  ··> ,  DPU 
F ta r!  s d  linr:  galcs  and  g r easing 
r cguJ  2, lor  bars,  o r  DPU  staff 
ccx,x-d i.nultng  lhe  pla n ting  dates ,  watcr 
rot3tim.s or  ma intena nce  work  partics. 
It  may  be  hypothcsized  that 
ayslems  with  higher  management 
r(:quirelLcnts,  low  fa rmer  organiza­
tional  capability  and  higher  levels  of 
initial  and  ongoing  government  invest­
menl  .... ill  require  a  more  intensive 
turnover  prepa:'ation  prOCCFS  and 
closer  future  coor dina tio n  \-lith  DPU. 
The  turnover  p rocess  ...,'ill  not  only 
enuse  changes  at  the  Eystem  b  ve}  but 
will  also  cre: .1te  new  rch  !,i'.lliships 
bet....·eer,  systems  at  the  r i Vf'  T'c.oursc 
level.  perllup h  rF~q u i ri n g  an  [J !"sxiation 
of  FMIS's  with  tarwer  involv(.t:.lent  in 
inter-system  management  In.E;hs,  suci. 
fiE'  the  polidng  of  :'otatio Tls ,  r.uc,hilizing 
repair  partie.:::  or  BE.UUn g  of  diHputes. 
Indoncsia  preserit1y  i t.)  in  a  t,Late  of 
marked  transition  in  the  orr-:<Hi ization 
of  waler  managemcnt.,  especLb:.l .>  \tIith 
regard  to  the  role  of  fuJ'r ':,,'::rs  in 
managing  irrigution syste ms.  [) 
Dr.  Dou g  Ver-minion 
IU,.I  Re ElChrch  Staff 
Cirebon,  WeBt  Java 
Indonesia. 

Another type of FMIS: Government systems turned over to farmers

http://publications.iwmi.org/pdf/H013930.pdf

Another type of FMIS: Government systems turned over to farmers

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Research Papers in Economics