The basic objective of the irrigation reforms, i.e., participatory irrigation management in Pakistan, was a better economic and financial management of irrigation service delivery, equity in water distribution, and better environmental outcome. The a...
Water has become increasingly scarce in northwestern China due to climate change, economic growth and burgeoning population. Improving agriculture water use efficiency is of strategic significance in promoting socio-economic water productivity for ar...
Against the background of the agricultural tax reform and the disintegration of China’s rural collective agriculture system, participatory irrigation management (PIM) is the key to improving irrigation management performance. Based on the surve...
Collective action serves as a critical mechanism for addressing deficiencies in small-scale irrigation infrastructure and fostering a virtuous cycle of their operation and maintenance. Village leaders, as central figures in organizing and mobilizing...
The influence of gender in participatory irrigation management reforms has been the subject of significant research in the past. Whilst there is some understanding of what hinders women and marginalized groups from participating in irrigation managem...
In southern Europe, irrigation is the major water user and thus, development of operational tools that support decisions aiming to improve irrigation management, is of great importance. In this study, a web-based participatory decision support system...
Participatory irrigation, where farmers are given greater control and management responsibility, has been a topic of controversy for many years. Initially seen as a panacea for dealing with weaknesses in state-run irrigation, participatory irrigation...
For many decades, participatory approaches, with their emphasis on farmer-centred management, have been presented as panaceas for overcoming weaknesses in irrigation systems. Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) has assumed such a high status th...
In this paper, we consider the process of transition from an equitable distribution of water to support semi-subsistence outcomes to market-oriented agriculture. We examine the stresses placed on water institutions as farmers adjust production to bec...
The evolution of water governance and societal perception in large, public irrigation systems in developing countries has triggered successive waves of reforms since the 1980s. Among them are Participatory Irrigation Management, Irrigation Management...
While high urban vegetable demand has driven unprecedented intensification of small private irrigation in peri-urban Kenya, absence of appropriate local governance mechanisms has necessitated interventions by concerned state agencies. Based on Ostrom...
Development initiatives often cite Water Users’ Associations (WUAs) as fundamental to water governance reform or the broad process of decentralizing responsibilities for management, supply and delivery. But the label of “WUA” indica...
Currently, irrigation consumes approximately 84 per cent of the total available water in India and is predicted to remain the dominant water user. This study assessed the barriers to canal irrigation efficiency in Jharkhand State of India. Through an...
This paper reports the results of an investigation into the preferences of irrigation farmers for different payment apparatus for irrigation fees. We also report the results of a study that queried farmers’ preferred model for water governance...
Small hydropower plants utilizing unharnessed energy in existing irrigation systems are a prominent source of renewable energy. In Japan, land improvement districts play a key role in the management of irrigation systems, but face serious problems in...
The tank-based irrigated agricultural system in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka is one of the oldest historically evolved agricultural systems in the world. The main component of the system consists of a connected series of man-made tanks constructed in sh...
Improving irrigation performance is crucial for increased agricultural productivity. As an indicator of performance, among other factors, improving the water Fees Collection Rate (FCR) is required, but FCR has remained low in most African and Asian c...
Across the world, achieving sustainable water resource development and managing limited natural resources like water have proven to be significant issues, and India is no exception to the same. At present, irrigation consumes about 80 percent of the...
The growth of groundwater irrigation poses opportunities and challenges, particularly in Africa where substantial potential exists for increased groundwater irrigation but has been constrained by limited access to energy, technology for pumps and dri...
Development of joint irrigation infrastructure increasingly depends on investment decisions made by individual farmers. Farmers base their decisions to invest on their current knowledge and understanding. As irrigation infrastructure development is u...
The paper examines the nature and performance of participatory water institutions in eastern India using structural equation modelling. There is a crisis in the management of water in India, and this is often not about having too little water but abo...
The paper examines the performance of participatory water institutions in India’s Eastern Indo-Gangetic plains region using new institutional economics and management governance fundamentals. Water institutions are of great importance for water...
This research investigates the relationship between equitable water allocation, participation in the local irrigation operation, and improved economic well-being. The study area consisted of the rice-growing districts of Doi Saket and Mae On in Thail...
Participatory processes have been widely promoted within the field of natural resource management as a method of supporting efficient resource use and, within these processes, much emphasis has been placed on gendered participation. In Kyrgyzstan, pa...
This article explores the water policy narrative in Pakistan, and identifies its historical trajectories and influences, as well as the impact of the global agenda setting of water for 2030. For this purpose, water sector reforms in Pakistan are exam...
Rapid population growth, rising food demand, and climate change have created significant challenges to meet the water demands for agriculture. Effective irrigation water management is essential to address the world’s water crisis. The transitio...
The main challenge faced by agriculture is to produce enough food for a continued increase in population, however in the context of ever-growing competition for water and land, climate change, droughts and anthropic water scarcity, and less-participa...
The paper examines the extent, nature, and factors affecting women’s involvement in participatory irrigation institutions of eastern India. Effective participatory water institutions are urgently needed to improve water management in eastern India, a...
The paper examines the nature and development of the participatory water institutions in the eastern Indo-Gangetic plains of India, focusing on the aspects of structure, participation, and devolution. Though the physical development of irrigation has...
Despite the relative hydrological abundance of northwestern Greece, the Arta Plain exhibits persistent spatial and seasonal mismatches between irrigation demand and the effective capacity of the public network. To clarify the factors mediating betwee...
The low agricultural productivity of key crops and food insecurity continue to be a problem in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and Tanzania in particular. The growing population and climate change further increase the food shortage. Irrigation has been str...
Khon Kaen Province in Northeastern Thailand is repeatedly exposed to both floods and droughts, undermining agricultural livelihoods. This study examines perceived climate risks and adaptive governance through a participatory action research (PAR) app...
Excessive soil erosion hampers the functioning of many irrigation schemes throughout sub-Saharan Africa, increasing management difficulties and operation and maintenance costs. River water is often considered the main source of sedimentation, while o...
This paper reviews contemporary developments in systems analysis applied to water resources and agricultural management, highlighting the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). The literature in this field encomp...
The Mediterranean region faces severe water scarcity exacerbated by climate change. The reuse of treated industrial wastewater for industrial processes or agricultural irrigation offers a sustainable mitigation strategy, yet its implementation is hin...
Inter-basin water transfers are the root of many conflicts, and water scarcity accentuates them. Those conflicts involve the priority of water use between regions. The Jaguaribe Metropolitan system, located in the Brazilian semiarid region, presents...
Climate change threatens the sustainability of agriculture and natural resources. Adaptive solutions must be designed locally with stakeholders. We developed the Approach for Building Adaptation Scenarios with Stakeholders (ABASS), which aims to iden...
This study examines how village spatial institutional capacity (knowledge resources, relational resources, and mobilization capacity) and intra-organizational collaboration jointly shape the governance of agricultural irrigation systems. Using survey...
Addressing soil salinity in irrigated drylands is tightly linked with water and land management decisions thus requiring interdisciplinary engagement. The salinity mapping approaches in Central Asia are undertaken through field sampling and laborator...
Water scientists often find themselves interacting with decision-makers with varying levels of technical background. The sustainable management of water resources is complex by nature, and future conditions are highly uncertain, requiring modeling ap...
In this study, we aimed to improve rice farmers’ productivity and profitability in rainfed lowlands through appropriate crop and nutrient management by closing the rice yield gap during the dry season in the rainfed lowlands of Indonesia. The Integra...
Agricultural water resource management is increasingly challenged by climate variability, land degradation, and socio-economic pressures, particularly in the Mediterranean region. This study, conducted in 2023–2024 within the REACT4MED project...
Mediterranean cities are increasingly exposed to climate hazards, water scarcity, and social vulnerabilities, demanding integrative approaches for sustainable regeneration. This study examines how participatory governance and co-design processes can...
The management of water resources is crucial for sustainable development, necessitating innovative solutions to address the increasing demand for safe water. Alternative approaches must be adopted to effectively engage young generations in understand...
An important outcome of social learning in the context of natural resource management is the potential for collective action—actions taken by a group of people that are the result of finding shared or common interest. Evidence of the relationsh...
Nowadays, sustainable agriculture is emerging as a critical framework within which food production, environmental protection and resilience to climate change must go hand in hand. At the core of this framework are the linkages between soil, water, cr...
This study investigates proximate drivers of cropland and forest degradation in the Kloto district (Togo, West Africa) as a way of exploring integrated sustainable landscape approaches with respect to socioeconomic and environmental needs and require...
Geospatial artificial intelligence (GeoAI) offers opportunities to translate heterogeneous agricultural observations into site-specific management decisions. This systematic review synthesizes literature published in 2019–2026, identified throu...
Aridification in the U.S. Southwest has led to tension about conservation and land management strategy. Strain on multi-generational agricultural livelihoods and nearly 150-year-old Colorado River water adjudication necessitates solutions from transd...
Public involvement is critical to the successful implementation of reclaimed water reuse programs. Based on the participatory research method, we studied the attitudes of the stakeholders who are involved in reclaimed water reuse in Beijing, China. R...
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