Neither modern nor traditional: Farmer-led irrigation development in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania

Bont, Chris de; Komakech, Hans C.; Veldwisch, Gert Jan

doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.11.018

Cited by 43 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…At the time of the field work, Arata-Chufa scheme farmers were facing a shortage of water because they lacked the machinery and funds to pay for sediment to be cleaned from the night storage pond, which supplied 60 ha, or 60%, of the total irrigated area. This reflects the problem of a lack of technology appropriation, which studies have shown leaves users dependent on external technology and developers [5,6]. Farmers were willing to invest, and of course they annually contributed a huge amount of labor to manage excessive sedimentation, but the operation and maintenance fees paid were insufficient to cover major maintenance and repair costs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nonetheless, "traditional" SSI schemes are largely overlooked by states [3]. Governments prefer the development of more "modern" irrigation schemes, considering "farmer-led" irrigation schemes "inefficient", "unproductive" and "traditional" [4][5][6]. To date in Africa, however, the total area under SSI schemes is much larger than that under medium-and large-scale irrigation [3,7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nonetheless, states have tended to overlook this indigenous knowledge. Instead, they have turned their focus to "modernizing" schemes, in the conviction that modernization will deliver improved irrigation performance [4][5][6]. Yet, without technology appropriation by farmers (i.e., farmers' adoption and adaptation of modern technology to their own setting), modernization of farmer-managed irrigation schemes may actually aggravate the problem of excessive sedimentation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stakeholder Roles and Perspectives on Sedimentation Management in Small-Scale Irrigation Schemes in Ethiopia

et al. 2019

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Irrigated agriculture, particularly small-scale irrigation (SSI), is a mainstay for sustainable livelihoods in the developing world. In Ethiopia, SSI sustainability is threatened mainly due to excessive sedimentation. Stakeholders’ perceptions of the causes of sedimentation and how they sustain SSI under excessive sedimentation conditions were investigated in two SSI schemes in Ethiopia. A participatory rapid diagnosis and action planning was implemented, consisting of a literature review, participatory rural appraisal, and semi-structured interviews. Results show that farmers slightly differed in perception of excessive sedimentation drivers. Farmers reported design problems as the main cause of excessive sedimentation (64%), followed by poor operation and maintenance (O and M) practices (21%) and external factors (15%). In contrast, 62% of the interviewed engineers indicated erosion and irrigation technologies as the main causes of excessive sedimentation, while few reported poor design (13%). In addition to an intensive desilting campaign, farmers delayed the start of the irrigation season to avoid the intake of highly sedimented water. Local social capital and knowledge appeared to be more important than formal knowledge and blue-print institutions for dealing with sedimentation problems. Well-organized structure and extra time devoted by famers were vital for SSI sustainability. Integration of the farmers’ knowledge with that of the engineers could yield more effective ways to deal with sedimentation problems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stakeholder Roles and Perspectives on Sedimentation Management in Small-Scale Irrigation Schemes in Ethiopia

et al. 2019

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“…To study how the Tanzanian formal policy shapes irrigation development interventions and how elements of these interventions are accepted, transformed, and rejected by farmers and government engineers, we conceptualise policy implementation as an interactive rather than a linear process (Thomas & Grindle, 1990). We use modernisation and modernity as explanatory concepts for why farmers and government officials strive for specific bureaucratic and technological interventions, and particularly focus on the importance of formal technical and institutional expertise, the power of specific aesthetic expressions and symbols of modernity, and the dominant role of the state (de Bont, Komakech, & Veldwisch, 2019;de Bont, Liebrand, Veldwisch, & Woodhouse, 2019;Scott, 1998). We aim to contribute to understanding how notions of modernity influence the dynamics between farmers and (state) engineers in interventions in farmer-led irrigation development and how this influences the development trajectory of farmers' irrigation initiatives.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

State Engagement with Farmer-led Irrigation Development: Symbolic Irrigation Modernisation and Disturbed Development Trajectories in Tanzania

Bont

Veldwisch

2020

The Journal of Development Studies

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Farmer-led irrigation development, a process in which farmers initiate the establishment of irrigation, is increasingly recognised as the driving force behind irrigation expansion, agricultural intensification, and commercialisation in sub-Saharan Africa. Governments and development agencies aim to build upon these practices to further stimulate agricultural production and expand the irrigated area. In what seems the recognition of farmers' ability to take the lead, various African states have developed policies for 'demanddriven irrigation development'. This article scrutinises the actual practices of such a policy through a case analysis of an intervention in Northern Tanzania. The analysis demonstrates how even demand-driven policies can disturb the development trajectory of farmer-led irrigation development by reinforcing modernisation ideals adhered to by both farmers and government employees. An emphasis on the aesthetics of modernity leads to symbolic modernisation, cementing the dominant role of the state and formal expertise and paralysing farmers' irrigation development initiatives. This does not necessarily lead to agricultural intensification and commercialisation, which the formal policies seem to aim for and which is central to processes of farmer-led irrigation development.

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“…Since surface and ground waters are greatly interrelated [50], it is meaningless to solely put efforts on surface water source management. Furthermore, it has been evident that groundwater is greatly advocated for agricultural practices [51][52][53][54], which makes freshwater vulnerable to pollution and overexploitation, as contrasted from the water resource use priorities by [38].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public Water Supply and Sanitation Authorities for Strategic Sustainable Domestic Water Management. A Case of Iringa Region In Tanzania

Lufingo

2019

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Water supply is a mandatory service for the majority from respective legal public water utilities, and its sustainability reflects implementations of best management strategies at a local level. The objectives of this study were (i) to assess current approaches used in water quality and quantity management and (ii) propose a sustainable domestic water management strategy. This was achieved through secondary water data trends, on-site water quality assessments, visits of water supply and sanitation authorities, and assessment of their performances. It was observed that water supplied in rural-based authorities was quite different from that supplied in an urban setting as far as quality and quantity are concerned; urban-based supplies are more affordable to users than rural ones. A new strategy on water management is presented for sustainable water supply; it is based on controlling groundwater abstractions and preference of surface water in public water supplies. Rural water supply management must learn several practices realized in urban supplies for the betterment of services for the majority of the users.

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Neither modern nor traditional: Farmer-led irrigation development in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania

Cited by 43 publications

References 24 publications

Stakeholder Roles and Perspectives on Sedimentation Management in Small-Scale Irrigation Schemes in Ethiopia

Stakeholder Roles and Perspectives on Sedimentation Management in Small-Scale Irrigation Schemes in Ethiopia

State Engagement with Farmer-led Irrigation Development: Symbolic Irrigation Modernisation and Disturbed Development Trajectories in Tanzania

Public Water Supply and Sanitation Authorities for Strategic Sustainable Domestic Water Management. A Case of Iringa Region In Tanzania

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