Resource information
Irrigation management transfer is an
important strategy among donors and governments to
strengthen farmer control over water and irrigation
infrastructure. This study seeks to understand whether
irrigation management transfer is meeting the promise of its
commitments. The authors use data from a survey of 68
irrigator associations and 1,020 farm households in the
Philippines to estimate the impact of irrigation management
transfer on irrigation association performance and on rice
yields. They also estimate a stochastic frontier production
function to assess contributions to technical efficiency.
There are three main results. First, the presence of
irrigation management transfer is associated with an
increase in maintenance activities undertaken by irrigation
associations. Second, by increasing local control over water
delivery, the presence of irrigation management transfer is
associated with a 2-6 percent increase in farm yields. Rice
production in irrigation management transfer areas is
greater even after controlling for various differences among
rice farmers in transfer and non-transfer areas. Third,
irrigation management transfer is, at a minimum,
poverty-neutral, and may even give the asset-poor a small
boost in terms of rice yields. The authors speculate that
this boost may be a result of increased timeliness of water
delivery and better resolution of conflicts related to
illegal use.
