On-farm water management project : the second joint US-Pakistan evaluation

Special evaluation covers the period 1976-9/79 and is based on site visits and interviews with project personnel, Government of Pakistan officials, and farmers. Despite a slow start-up and numerous other difficulties, the project shows excellent potential. Progress has been made toward developing viable Pakistani institutions to provide OFWM services and toward promoting key components, mainly watercourse improvements (WCI's). Of the 227 WCI's (of 1,530 planned), 202 are in Punjab, 16 in Sind, 9 in NWPF, and none in Baluchistan. Technologies introduced include watercourse lining, earthen improved channels, concrete round gates, and silt traps. Farmers have responded well to WCI's, but have not cooperated on WCI maintenance; organization of water users associations has been weak. Farmer interest in precision land leveling (PLL), on the other hand, has been low; only 24,860 acres (431,830 targeted) have been improved. Implementation of PLL and WCI has been constrained by farm size criteria that reject a large percentage of those needing assistance, particularly tenant farmers, and cause difficulties in reaching non-contiguous watercourses. Research has been somewhat neglected due to emphasis on implementing WCI and PLL. Considerable research has been done on WCI and PLL labor-, time-, and water-saving impacts, but production impacts have not been quantified (although evidence suggests substantial benefits). The research has informed project operations to a degree, but linkages are generally weak. Extension activities have been minimal, with some effort having been made in Punjab and Sind. All provinces except Baluchistan have established formal OFWM training programs; Punjab has an extension training program as well. An outstanding trapezoidal template was developed in Punjab as a training tool and guide for watercourse channel construction. Training has also been provided by the University of Agriculture at Faisalabad. Numerous recommendations, the most important being to reduce emphasis on PLL, address problems in the areas mentioned above. Recommendations are also made regarding financial and personnel matters, particularly disbursement delays due to use of the Fixed Amount Reimbursement mechanism.