Community participation and local organization for small-scale irrigation

This study, based on experience in Asia, Latin America, and to a lesser extent in sub-Saharan Africa, examines forms of local organization (formal or informal) and types of participation (empowered/unempowered, direct/indirect); the impact of contextual variables (physical environment, water availability, local social structure, national economic and institutional context) on the local organization potential; and characteristics desirable in local organizations (accountability to constituents, ability to perform tasks and interact with development and regulatory agencies). A final section on agency roles in encouraging participation and local organization notes that effective local participation will depend on the agency"s understanding of local irrigation factors - an understanding for which a baseline sociocultural study is critical - and on agency style and behavior (adopting a service rather than a construction orientation, employing a learning process approach that involves users early on, and having the community organizer act as a resource person who builds local technical and communication capacities). A 117-item bibliography (1952-84) is appended.