The research questions

• What is the hydrological resource endowment of the river basin?
• Who are the present users of water, and what are the present patterns of water use differentiated by sector, public and private uses, gender and income level?
• What are the formal, informal and legal institutional arrangements for sharing water between uses within the basin and what provisions (or potential) exist for satisfying the unmet water needs of disadvantaged groups, such as women, children and the poor?
• What investments and costs are associated with different allocation mechanisms?
• How do the present formal and informal arrangements for allocating and managing water between uses affect equity and productivity of agricultural water use within the river basin?
• What is the nature of conflicts between uses and the means for conflict resolution within the basin?
• What are trends and scenarios for future of irrigated agriculture and access to water resources by poor women and men?
• What policy and institutional deficiencies exist in the present arrangements for water allocation and management?

Objectives

• To identify the physical, socio-economic and institutional conditions affecting the management of scare water resources available for agriculture on the in selected river basins in the context of integrated water resources management
• To develop strategies for effective institutions for improving management of water resources for agriculture.

Methods

A common methodology and a set of research questions were adopted for all 5 basins. The key components of the methodology were:

• compiling an inventory of the physical infrastructure relating to water resources in the river basin.
• Water accounting,
• Analysis of the prevailing socio-economic conditions in the basin
• Assessing the current performance of irrigated agriculture in the basin and
• analysis of the existing formal and informal institutional arrangements for managing water resources in the river basin and documenting how different stakeholders are included or excluded in water resource development and benefit appropriation strategies

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Researchers

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Project Duration