UNIVERSITY OF STIRLING INSTITUTE OF CENTRE FOR LAND USE AQUACULTURE AND WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH INTEGRATION OF AQUACULTURE WITHIN IRRIGATION SYSTEMS PROCEEDINGS OF STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP HELD AT HOTEL TOPAZ, KANDY, 26-27th of November 1998 Working Paper 2.3 With Agribusiness Centre, Peradeniya University A UK-Sri Lanka Collaborative Research Project funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) Francis Murray Page ii 01/07/2002 Preface & Acknowledgements This stakeholder workshop, is an interim component of a UK Department for International Development (DFID) funded natural resources research program, incorporating two linked projects: R7064 and R7123. The project aims to investigate the potential for integrated aquaculture options within large and small-scale irrigation systems to bring benefits to marginal groups within diverse, risk-prone semi-arid and water-stressed regions of the world. Benefits are expected to be increased opportunities for livelihood diversification and more efficient and sustainable use of dwindling per capita water supplies. The workshop was hosted by the Agribusiness Centre, Faculty of Agricultiure, University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka). Other principle collaborators are the Institute of Aquaculture, Stirling University (UK) the Centre for Land-use and Water Resource Research, Newcastle University (UK) and CARE International (Sri Lanka). All statements of fact or opinion in this document should be taken as interim statements, The work is continuing and matters covered in this report may be revised in the light of future information received. The document has been prepared to provide information exchange within the research team and with counterparts elsewhere. Comments are invited and should be sent to project leaders in UK or Sri Lanka. ii Francis Murray Page iii 01/07/2002 Executive Summary The purpose of the workshop was to elicit the opinion of a broad range of stakeholders on poverty focussed aquaculture options in both large and small-scale irrigation systems and to develop a framework for an in-depth study of aquaculture potential. Researchable constraints and development opportunitie s were identified through stakeholder analysis. Attending the 2-day workshop were over 30 participants from local and central government, NGO’s, donors, banks and research organisations. Language constraints precluded the participation of primary stakeholders (i.e. the farmers themselves) whose needs and priorities are instead being elicited using similar workshops and a variety of other participatory techniques in the field. The conceptual basis behind the ‘stakeholder analysis’ methodology is presented, highlighting the need for such participatory methods in planning research designed to support sustainable development interventions. Using this approach we seek to understand the potential benefits and losses which may accrue to different groups and come up with a shared idea of work based on stakeholders expectations, priorities and their potential to contribute. The workshop commenced with a series of presentations based on available secondary data. These included: the nature of inland water resources including large (institutionally managed) and small-scale (farmer-managed) systems, aquaculture options learned from other areas of the world and the current socio-economic and gender context of communities associated with irrigation development in Sri Lanka. Open discussion forums in which the opinions of participants were canvassed followed these sessions. Three different stakeholder sessions followed. In the first, participants were grouped according to their institutional background and asked to comment on their potential to gain from the project and their ability and constraints to participation. Lack of time and other resources were identified as a major constraint. In the second session stakeholders were placed into mixed groups and asked a series of questions designed to elicit their reactions to the project objectives. All participants agreed broadly with the need to address sustainability issues pertaining to inland fish production and the need for bottom up approaches to improve the potential of marginal groups to benefit. Finally in the third session stakeholders were invited to participate in the formulation of a research agenda based on identification of technical, institutional, socio-economic and biological constraints to aquaculture within large and small-scale irrigation systems. In summary, all the stakeholders present endorsed the need for such a project enthusiastically. The unique withdrawal of state patronage to the sector from 1989 to 1994 was identified the principle cause of weak institutional support for the inland fisheries sector. This along with poor co-ordination between other developmental and line agencies were identified as important constraints to the uptake of sustainable aquaculture options within irrigation systems, particularly in the context of no existing indigenous tradition of aquaculture. The institutional situation also impacts on the reliability of data used to establish the current status of the inland fisheries sector, highlighting the need for further field based situational research prior to any intervention. Despite a widespread appreciation of the participatory paradigm, many institutions (and in particular those involved in research) emphasise the development of intensive, high input fixed technological packages which are likely to have limited to relevance to the marginal groups targeted by the project. iii Francis Murray Page iv 01/07/2002 Glossary of terms AbC Agribusiness Centre (University of Peradeniya) DFID Department For International Development (formally ODA) FIrST Fish in Irrigation Systems Technology IIMI International Irrigation Management Institute IoA Institute of Aquaculture (Stirling University) CLWRR Centre for Land Use and Water Resource Research (Newcastle University) NGO Non Governmental Organisation iv Francis Murray Page v 01/07/2002 Table of contents. Preface & Acknowledgements ....................................................................................ii Executive Summary ....................................................................................................iii Glossary of terms ........................................................................................................iv Table of contents..........................................................................................................v List of Tables...............................................................................................................vi 1. Introduction and purpose of the workshop.........................................................1 2. Summary of workshop proceedings .....................................................................1 3. What is a stakeholder analysis?............................................................................2 4. Results of stakeholder analysis session 1 .............................................................3 4.1 Results of stakeholder session 1. Part A...............................................................3 4.2 Results of stakeholder session 1. Part B...............................................................5 5. Results of stakeholder analysis session 2 .............................................................5 6. Results of stakeholder analysis session 3 - Formulation of a research agenda 8 Appendix 1a: Position paper 1a - What we hope to achieve; aims and project goals.............................................................................................................................10 Appendix 1b: Position paper 1b - Key issues in developing aquaculture as part of integrated water resource management within irrigation systems....................................11 Appendix 2: Position Paper 2 – The nature and distribution of irrigation systems in Sri Lanka and their potential for Aquaculture.........................................................12 Executive Summary ...............................................................................................12 Part I - Introduction..............................................................................................13 Part II - Water resources in Sri Lanka................................................................13 2.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................13 2.2 Reservoirs.....................................................................................................................14 2.2.1 Multipurpose reservoirs ...................................................................................14 2.2.2 Hydroelectric reservoirs...................................................................................15 2.2.3 Other Reservoirs .............................................................................................15 2.3 Classification of Irrigation Resources..........................................................................15 2.4 System Tanks and Non System Tanks.........................................................................18 2.5 Irrigation Canals...........................................................................................................18 2.6 Water availability in tanks ...........................................................................................19 Part III - Water Uses in Sri Lanka.......................................................................20