Empowerment of farmers through participatory irrigation management in Bihar, India

Abstract

Poorly performing irrigation schemes in India require technical, managerial and institutional support on an urgent basis. In recent years, participatory irrigation management (PIM) has gained momentum as a strategy to improve the performance of irrigation systems, increase water use efficiency and promote equitable water distribution. This approach involves the active involvement of farmers and other stakeholders in the planning, implementation and management of irrigation systems. The state of Bihar has primarily an agrarian economy and irrigation is essential for agricultural production. However, Bihar's irrigation potential is being underutilized due to improper management of irrigation systems. In Bihar, the experiment of PIM in the Paliganj distributary of the Sone irrigation scheme was attempted as a local initiative by WALMI Patna, which was funded by USAID, and, thus, the need for an overall state policy and strategic plan was realized. Therefore, PIM has been implemented through the formation of water users' associations (WUAs) and farmers’ organizations (FOs) at different levels under the Bihar Irrigation Act of 1997, and Bihar Irrigation, Flood Management and Drainage Rules, 2003. The Bihar model of PIM is based on the macro-to-micro approach because of its geographical conditions and the size of the schemes in the state. This paper examines the implementation of PIM in Bihar and its impacts on farmers.