Tackling Irrigation
The book highlights the new coming challenges in the farmer-managed irrigation system
By A CORRESPONDENT
Nepal has a long experience and expertise on traditional methods of managing the irrigation system. Nepalese farmers inherited this traditional approach practiced by their forefathers. The traditional system of irrigation was characterized by institutional, physical and technical concerns. However, the situation has changed now and it is now more subtle and comprehensive - farmer managed irrigation system has seen sea changes.
Irrigation in Transition
(Interacting with Internal and External Factors and Setting the Strategic Actions)
Proceedings of the Fourth International Seminar)
Edited by: Prachanda Pradhan, Laya Prasad Uprety, Umesh Nath Parajuli and Upendra Gautam
Published by: Farmer Managed Irrigation Systems (FMIS) Promotion Trust
Minbhawan, G.P.O Box No 1207 Phone: 4465227
Price: US$ 15 (NRs: 1000.00)
Pages: 388 |
For the farmers of countries like Nepal, the coming days are more challenging as well as filled with difficulties. Transformation taking place in the world following the implementation of World Trade Organization is difficult to understand. Along with the internal, the external factors are also playing predominant role in the changed context.
“Now the irrigation systems are to deal more with productivity of available resources, reduction of poverty and insecurity, promotion of farmers’ dignity and empowerment, encouragement to farmers’ organization as a strategic means to protect members’ interest, assistance to farmers’ innovation as a key to making improvements in their livelihood, and development of capability of farmers to encounter an unequal commercial competitions introduced in the name of global trade regime and water scarcity, depletion and deterioration wrought by climate change in variable irrigation ecology. Hence one would come across unprecedented challenges brought by external and internal factors in the irrigation systems management worldview in Nepal as well as in other parts of the world,” write editors.
In the last few years, a lot of thins changed in the farmer managed irrigation system. From structure to characters and institutions, farmers have to live in a totally new kind of situation.
At a time when transformation in these sectors are taking place, Farmer Managed Irrigation Systems Promotion Trust (FMIS) organized a seminar on Irrigation in Transition: Interacting with Internal and External Factors and Setting the Strategies.” Based on deliberations at the two-days international seminar held in November 6-7, the book consists of various interesting articles and discussions.
“The key message of the seminar was loud and clear: Irrigation System can no longer function in isolation and they, in contemporary time, are increasingly influenced by internal and external factors. These factors influence their productivity, inter-generational continuity, operation and management. The seminar attempted to bring home the irrigation system transition issue along with the factors influencing transition environment so that the transition as such helps irrigation systems reaching another relatively permanent phase,” writes editors.
Attended by 134 participants including 16 experts and scholars from 10 countries, the papers presented in the seminar were highly academic and based on personal experiences also. In his paper Twenty-Five Years of FMIS Study in Nepal, Prachanda Pradhan, patron, FMIS, highlighted a long history of Nepal’s farmer managed irrigation system.
Laya Prasad Uprety, executive member and seminar coordinator, FMIS, presented the Theme of the Fourth International seminar arguing that the socio- economic processes of change and development have influenced the development and management of both farmer-managed and agency-managed irrigation systems.
Ram Bahadur Chettri presented the paper on mountain irrigation systems and their implications. He argued how culturally embedded knowledge on irrigation is thriving in Himalayan villages.
This is one of the interesting books to read as it consists of articles and scholarly works highlighting how farmer-managed irrigation systems are facing challenges in the new context of WTO.
