EVALUATION OF THE ON - FARM WATER MANAGEMENT RESEARCH PROJECT COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY

EVALUATION COVERS THE PERIOD 1968 TO 1979 AND IS BASED ON MEETINGS WITH PERSONNEL FROM COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY (CSU), THE US CONTRACTOR, AND ONSITE VISITS. CSU WAS MANDATED TO PRODUCE INFORMATION (RESEARCH) AND EXPERTISE (TRAINED PERSONNEL) CONCERNING ON-FARM WATER MANAGEMENT IN ASIA. IMPORTANT RESEARCH AREAS INCLUDED WATERCOURSE AND FARM IRRIGATION LOSSES; SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONSTRAINTS TO WATERCOURSE DEVELOPMENT; WATER USER ASSOCIATION AND MODEL LAW ISSUES; THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG CROPS, SOIL, WATER, SALINITY, AND FERTILITY; AND IMPROVED WATERCOURSE TECHNOLOGY. IN THE AREA OF TRAINING, PAKISTANI COLLABORATORS NOT ONLY PERFORMED THE RESEARCH PLANNED UNDER THE PROJECT, BUT ALSO IDENTIFIED PROBLEMS AND INITIATED PROBLEM-SOLVING RESEARCH. MANY HAVE SUBSEQUENTLY MOVED ON TO IMPORTANT POLICY-MAKING POSITIONS WITH THE GOVERNMENT. OVER 150 TECHNICAL REPORTS AND PUBLICATIONS AND A NUMBER OF ON-FARM WATER MANAGEMENT SEMINARS WERE ALSO FORTHCOMING. THE 1979 DECISION TO CURTAIL AID SUPPORT TO PAKISTAN EFFECTIVELY TERMINATED THE PROJECT JUST AS CSU WAS MOVING INTO THE EXTENSION PHASE. SEVERAL IMPORTANT LESSONS HAVE BEEN LEARNED, INCLUDING THE NEED FOR IN-COUNTRY HUMAN AND INSTITUTIONAL RESOURCES FOR RESEARCH; THE IMPORTANCE OF CENTRAL RESEARCH INITIATIVES TO RESOLVE GENERAL DEVELOPMENT CONSTRAINTS; THE ADVANTAGES OF MOVING INTO EXTENSION AND APPLICATION OF RESEARCH RESULTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE; AND THE NEED TO CONDUCT RESEARCH UNDER FIELD CONDITIONS. IN SUMMARY, THE EVALUATORS FEEL THAT A MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH HAS BEEN MADE TOWARD IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY AND EQUITY OF IRRIGATION WATER DISTRIBUTION UNDER LARGE CANAL SYSTEMS. IF THE POTENTIAL OF THIS ACCOMPLISHMENT IS TO BE REALIZED, EXCEPTIONAL COMMITMENT AND PERSISTANCE OF THE HOST COUNTRY AND ITS DONORS WILL BE NECESSARY. IN THIS VEIN, THE EVALUATORS RECOMMEND THAT USAID/INDIA SHOULD STRIVE TO COMPLETE THE WORK UNDERWAY ON THE ANALYSES AND DESIGN OF WATER USERS ASSOCIATIONS, AND THAT AID SHOULD RECONSIDER ITS DECISION TO ELIMINATE THE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER SEMINAR PLANNED FOR PAKISTAN.