| Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) was adopted in Thailand in 2004 to encourage the efficient use of water in the agricultural sector. Agriculture is closely linked to water resource management issues, since seventy percent of global water use is utilized for agriculture. In several developing countries, it accounts for up to 95% of overall water use. PIM is one approach to improving water allocation and effective water use being tested within agriculture systems that are striving to be more sustainable. PIM refers to the participation of water users at all phases of irrigation management such as planning, operation, maintenance, monitoring, and evaluation of the system.;The empirical research undertaken to satisfy these objectives was qualitative in nature, and based on an interactive, adaptive approach. An exploratory case study design was applied to gain insights into the connection between public participation, learning, and sustainable water management. Two integrated water user groups (IWUGs) were selected from the Krasiew Reservoir, Suphanburi Province, as case studies in order to control variable factors such as topography, weather, type of irrigation system, irrigation areas, percentage of irrigation efficiency, type of water user organization, crop pattern, norms, and culture, that may affect the ability to manage irrigation water of any target case studies. Data collection included document review, semi-structured telephone interviews, semi-structured face-to-face interviews, observation, and informal meetings. NVivo software was used to identify themes and organize a coding system for the collected data from the fieldwork.;The analysis of the public participation process in PIM was grounded in the public participation and participation in water management literatures. Analyzing the learning outcomes was established through transformative learning theory using specific constructs such as instrumental and communicative learning. Moreover, the individual suggestions of the research participants, as well as researcher's own experiences, contributed to the data interpretation and analysis.;Findings revealed that PIM implementation failed prior to 2004, primarily due to the discontinuity in PIM policy, non-allocated budgets, and uncooperative public irrigation officials. "Learning from past failures" could best describe how PIM is currently being conducted in Thailand. Four key players in PIM implementation and operation were the Royal Irrigation Department, the water user organization (WUO), the Joint Management Committee for Irrigation (JMC), and the local administrative organization. At an overall country level, farmers were authorized to set their own ditch rules and patterns of water allocation within a ditch after farmers had organized a basic group called a water user group (WUG). However, the joint water management decision-making between public irrigation staff and local farmers normally started when farmers established a united WUO. Most committee respondents of the united WUOs indicated that they worked cooperatively with public irrigation staff on behalf of individual farmers and influenced the decision-making at the canal level in profound ways. Eighteen JMCs have been founded throughout the country to date. Positive outcomes in the findings related to the Krasiew Reservoir could bode well for what is happening in the other 17 JMCs, as they seem to have a similar structure and authority over water allocation and distribution.;The purpose of this research was to understand the relationships between public participation, learning, and the implementation of more sustainable water practices through PIM in Thailand. The objectives set included the following: (1) To identify the current status and approaches of PIM implementation across the country. (2) To explore the participatory nature of community involvement in water management decision-making through PIM. (3) To establish ways that new deliberative space can be created for civic engagement in PIM. (4) To examine the elements of individual learning occurring through PIM implementation. (5) To consider whether and how participation and learning through PIM leads to social action aimed at achieving more sustainable water practices.;Case study data from the Krasiew Reservoir showed that after the water allocation and delivery schedule were developed and agreed on by JMC members, the final water delivery pattern (i.e. rotational or continual water delivery) at each canal was made by a majority vote among members at an IWUG general meeting. The final water allocation strategy at each canal was based on a discussion among IWUG committee members. WUG chiefs and WUG members were responsible for designing their own water allocation pattern and schedule for ditches. Further, it was found that public irrigation staff at the Krasiew Operation and Maintenance Office now acted as technical advisors by providing relevant water information in IWUG committee meetings, IWUG general meetings, and JMC meetings, rather than acting as decision makers. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
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