This working paper by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water aims at exploring the best methods that can be used for determining successful institutional reforms for Water Use Efficiency (WUE) in agriculture in the context of absolute water stress and relative water scarcity conditions across economic sectors for India. The paper does so by drawing on experiences based on attempts at reform undertaken by a number of countries facing similar circumstances such as China, Mexico and Turkey.
The paper sets up a framework that combines water availability, water use, and institutions and capacities as the three key indicators for comparing institutional reforms for WUE across countries. It explores these indicators using international case studies with varied institutional reform approaches and then defines the needs and priorities for India at different institutional levels. The paper argues that this approach requires focusing on elements common to all systems such as water, land, and crop production.
This paper seeks to identify successful water institutional reforms and best practices that have improved WUE in several countries including, but not limited to, China, Turkey and Mexico, in order to make recommendations for India’s national, regional and local water institutions. The paper is structured around two critical questions:
The paper is divided into the following sections:
The paper ends by outlining three innovative institutional design options and policy recommendations focused on three issues: greater local participation in irrigation management, capacity building for water management decisions, and better understanding of hydrologic principles. The paper argues that none of the institutional options namely, shared management, joint management, and village level management is perfect, but each provides opportunities for a multidisciplinary, collaborative process to water management. The models are relevant not only for improving participatory irrigation management in India, but could also serve as the basis for more in depth cross-country research in future.
The paper concludes that:
The paper ends by providing a synthesis of best practices for India and recommendations for institutional reforms
A copy of the paper can be accessed at this link