Revisiting Irrigation Management Transfer: a Case Study of a Philippine Municipality’S Experience in Transferring Irrigation Management to Farmer Assocations
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REVISITING IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT TRANSFER: A CASE STUDY OF A PHILIPPINE MUNICIPALITY’S EXPERIENCE IN TRANSFERRING IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT TO FARMER ASSOCATIONS by Jennifer Lauren Bedore B.A., McGill University, 2008 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN PLANNING in The Faculty of Graduate Studies THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) April 2011 Jennifer Lauren Bedore, 2011 Abstract There is a lack of data and analysis relating to implementation processes and impacts for Irrigation Management Transfer (IMT), particularly at the community level. This is despite the fact that IMT has become one of the most popular trends in irrigation management worldwide. This research fills key gaps in knowledge about IMT in practice, specifically with respect to: (1) the different approaches being used, the constraints to implementation, the impacts on all stakeholders; and (2) the suitability of IMT in different social, political and economic settings, through a case study analysis of the municipality of Plaridel, Bulacan, Philippines. Based on a review of literature focused on the works of the leading experts in IMT, seven 'best practices', with respect to the implementation of IMT, are formulated. Through semi-structured interviews and data collection, the implementation of IMT in Plaridel is then evaluated against these seven 'best practices'. It is found that all seven of the 'best practices' are not currently operational in the municipality and that as a result, there is an extremely high likelihood that Plaridel's farms and Irrigation Associations (IAs) will not be viable in the near future. The main reasons for this being the absence of clearly recognized and sustainable water rights and service and insufficient financial resources provided by the implementing irrigation agency, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA). This study argues that this scenario is likely because NIA is implementing IMT solely to reduce its own financial costs in operating and maintaining Plaridel's irrigation systems and not to improve productivity or the livelihoods of Plaridel's farmers. Plaridel is a cautionary tale to any government that is planning to implement IMT, as it shows how IMT is no quick fix to a financially unviable Irrigation Agency or agricultural sector. Rather it is a difficult, painstaking process that requires substantial financing and commitment. ii Preface This research was approved by The University of British Columbia’s Behavioral Research Ethics Board, the Certificate Number of the Ethics Certificate is H10-00567. I, Jennifer Lauren Bedore, conducted all of the research for this thesis as well as wrote it in its entirety. iii Table of Contents Abstract………………………………………………………….…………………….....ii Preface………………………………………………………….………………………..iii Table of Contents………………………………………………….…………………….iv List of Tables…………………………………………………………………………....vii List of Figures……………………………………………………………………….…viii List of Acronyms………………………………………………………………………...ix Acknowledgments………………………………………………………………………..x Dedication……………………………………………………….……….………………xi Chapter One: Introduction………………………………………………..…………….1 Definition of Key Concepts and Terms: Comparing Irrigation Management Transfer and Participatory Irrigation Management.……….....….....................……………..…..………3 Why IMT is Being Implemented Worldwide……………...…………………………...…6 Worldwide Results of Irrigation Management Transfer…..………………………………………………………………………………10 Relevance and Rationale………………...…………………………………………...…..12 Research Methodology…………...………………...……………………………………14 Organization of the Study……………………...………..………………………….……20 Chapter Two: Rice Self-Sufficiency in the Philippines: The Historical, Institutional and Political Contexts……………………………………………..……………………21 History of Rice Self-Sufficiency in the Philippines…………………….…………..……23 Main Obstacles to Rice Self-Sufficiency in the Philippines…………..…………………25 History of the National Irrigation Administration, PIM and IMT in the Philippines …...30 iv Chapter Three: Case Study of Plaridel, Bulacan: Irrigation Opportunities and Challenges……………………………………………………………………….………38 The Role of Agriculture and Rice in Plaridel……………………..……………………..39 Reasons for the Implementation of IMT in Plaridel……………………………………..43 Rice Self-Sufficiency in Plaridel and Bulacan…………….…………………………..…44 Financial Viability of NIA…………………………………….…………………………49 The Implementation of IMT in Plaridel………………………………………………….50 Chapter Four: Measuring Plaridel’s Success: Management…………………….…..54 Best Practice #1: The Roles, Responsibilities, Power and Authority, of Both the Irrigation Associations and the Irrigation Agency, Needed to Successfully Implement IMT Must Be Clearly Defined in a Legally Binding Contract……………………………………...…..55 Best Practice #2: IAs Must be ‘Strong’ Enough to Mobilize Farmer Members to Undertake the Roles and Responsibilities That Will be Delegated to Them Under IMT.64 Best Practice #3: The Irrigation Agency Staff is 'Streamlined' in a Manner That: a. Ensures a Sufficient Number of the Irrigation Agency Staff Remains in Order to Properly Implement IMT b. Does not Incentivize the Remaining Irrigation Agency Staff to 'Block' the IMT Process from Successfully Completing…………………...……..70 Chapter Five: Measuring Plaridel’s Success: Financial Viability………….………..79 The Vicious Cycle of Irrigation Management………………………………………...…80 Best Practice #4: IAs Must Have the Capacity to Collect Irrigation Service Fees (ISFs) From Their Members on a Sustained Basis and to Properly Manage their Financial Resources ..……………….…………...…………………………...…………………….82 Best Practice #5: Financial Resources Must be Available to Farmers and IAs Who Are Unable to Profitably Sustain the Operation of Their Farm or Irrigation System Independent of the Irrigation Agency……………………………………...............…….96 v Chapter Six: Measuring Plaridel’s Success: Operations and Maintenance and Water Availability…….………………………………………………...……………..104 Best Practice #6: IAs Must Have the Capacity to Perform All Operations and Maintenance Related Roles and Responsibilities Delegated to Them Under IMT….…105 Best Practice #7: IAs Must Have a Clearly Recognized and Sustainable Water Right and Service………………………………………………………………………..…………114 Chapter Seven: Conclusions…………………………………………….……………121 Limitations and Directions for Further Research ………………………………...…….129 Works Cited……………………………………………………………………………130 Appendix: List of Interviewees and Their Respective Roles/Affiliations…...……...139 vi List of Tables Table 1.1: Number of interview respondents by category………………………….……16 Table 1.2: Barangays interviewed and corresponding IAs………………………………17 Table 1.3: Agricultural area, irrigated palay area and no. of farmers by barangay…..….18 Table 2.1. National irrigation policy history in the Philippines…………………….....…37 Table 3.1: NISs by region…………………………………………………………..……42 Table 3.2: Population density, change, estimated doubling time and growth category by barangay……...…………………………………….…………………………........47 Table 4.1: Levels of cooperation within Plaridel's IAs, as stated by IA representatives and general members……….………………………………………………..…………65 Table 4.2: Levels of trust that exists within Plaridel's IAs, as stated by IA representatives and general members……...…………………………………...……………….….67 Table 4.3: Selected problems implementing IMT, worldwide and in Asia…………..….71 Table 5.1: Average farmer response to the question: will the members of your IA trust a fellow farmer member(s) to collect ISFs once IMT commences, by IA……….….87 Table 6.1: Percent of NISs in need of rehabilitation, by type, in 2002……………...….111 vii List of Figures Figure 2.1: The Philippines by region…………………………………………..…..……21 Figure 2.2: Level of risk to typhoons in the Philippines…………………………………26 Figure 3.1: Region III, Philippines………………………………………………………39 Figure 3.2: Map of Plaridel in Bulacan……………………………….………………….40 Figures 3.3 and 3.4: 'Built-up Areas’ in Bulacan province, 1997 & 2007……….………45 Figure 3.5: Existing land use map of Bulacan………………………………...…………46 Figure 3.6: Roles and responsibilities of both the IA and NIA pictorially represented for Stage I of the IMT contract……………………………………………...…………50 Figure 3.7: Roles and responsibilities of both the IA and NIA pictorially represented for Stage II of the IMT contract…………………………………..……………...……51 Figure 3.8: Roles and responsibilities of both the IA and NIA pictorially represented for Stage III of the IMT contract………………………………….……………...……52 Figure 4.1: Pictorial description of Plaridel's, to be, areas of responsibility under their 'Combined Stage I & II' contract with NIA…………..…………….……...………57 Figure 4.2: Results of streamlining in NIA's Bulacan office………………..…...………72 Figure 4.3: NIA's reliance on non-tenured staff by region as of 2002….....…..………... 78 Figure 5.1: The vicious cycle of irrigation management……………………………...…80 Figure 5.2: Total costs and profits from a 1ha farm in Plaridel for one cropping season..97 Figure 6.1: Broken gate that makes it impossible for the IA to properly regulate the flow of water…………………………………………………...……111 Figure 6.2: Unmaintained canal in Lagundi, which is said to have occurred due to a lack of necessary equipment……………………………………………………..……112 viii List of Acronyms AFMA Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act AMRIS Angat-Maasim River Irrigation System BANE Bulacan-Aurora-Nueva-Ecije CARP Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program CIS Communal Irrigation System DA Department of Agriculture DENR Department of Environment and Natural Resources FAO Food and Agriculture Organization