Irrigation management and training

The project, to be implemented by Indian entities, focuses on professional and farmer training, action research, information dissemination, and developing new organizational guidelines. Irrigation management and professional development training will be provided at five state training institutes and at a new central facility at the Irrigation Research Management Improvement Cell (IRMIC) to 12,000 senior, mid-level, and junior officers and land development personnel and extensionists. Some 500-1,000 professionals will conduct special workshops, field days, demonstrations, and short courses in villages near irrigation projects to transfer technology directly to 17,000 farmers and gather farmer feedback. Some 200 professionals will be trained to analyze, using project-provided computer hardware and software, large-scale groupings of water projects in individual river basins (including a detailed case study of one state); select short-term U.S. training will also be provided. Multidisciplinary action research will be conducted onsite on major irrigation problems. Activities will include: site-specific problem analysis and solution; short-term adaptive research by technicians and professionals; preparation of case-specific reports and articles; and onsite demonstrations and workshops. IRMIC will transfer irrigation technology - using results of project research as a major source - to all STI"s, state irrigation, and agriculture universities via printed reports and videotaped programs. Finally, new organizational guidelines will be developed. Areas may include: chak-level watercourse and control structure operation and maintenance (including common facilities and cost-sharing); interactions between water user groups at different administrative levels; aligning extensionist duties with chak boundaries; establishing Command Area Development Authorities in medium projects; coordinating budgeting and personnel sanctioning between state irrigation and agriculture departments; and encouraging user participation in irrigation experiments.