Farmer-Financed Irrigation
The Economics of Reform

This book examines the potentials and limitations of user fees for financing irrigation operation and maintenance.

Leslie E. Small (Author), Ian Carruthers (Author)

9780521380737, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 10 October 1991

248 pages, 12 b/w illus.
23.5 x 15.1 x 2.1 cm, 0.485 kg

"Leslie Small and Ian Carruthers have written a lucid, policy-oriented book about this challenge and options for meeting it. Drawing on strong familiarity with a wide range of cases and making a significant effort to apply basic neoclassical economic insights in an understandable matter, the book identifies and reviews many of the key issues....this is a clearly written and exceptionally well-grounded book. It addresses an important policy issue in comtemporary international agricultural development policy." Bruce Koppel, Rural Sociology

In this book, Leslie Small and Ian Carruthers examine in detail the potentials and limitations of user fees for financing irrigation operation and maintenance. Both authors have extensive field experience in irrigation in developing countries and have combined this experience with simple concepts of economics to examine possible institutional and financial reforms which would not simply ask farmers to pay for an inadequate irrigation service, but would create the potential for significant improvements in the quality of the service provided. The proposed elements of any such reform are discussed in depth - a system of user fees covering the recurrent costs of irrigation; a financially autonomous irrigation agency that can retain and use the fees to operate and maintain the irrigation facilities; and a macro policy environment that is not unduly skewed against the agricultural sector. Written in a style intended to convey economic perspectives and insights to non-economists, this book will be essential reading for all those concerned with the financing and performance of irrigation in developing countries.

Preface
1. Irrigation financing in perspective
Part I. Analysing Financing Policies: Theory and Concepts: 2. Key concepts from economic theory
3. Evaluating irrigation financing policies: a conceptual framework
Part II. Criteria for Evaluating Irrigation Financing Policies: 4. Cost-effective operation and maintenance
5. Allocating a scarce resource: water-use efficiency
6. Improving investment decisions
7. Resource-mobilisation efficiency
8. The concern for equity
Part III. Financial Autonomy and User Fees: Key Implementation Issues: 9. Establishing financial autonomy
10. Setting irrigation fees: reconciling the need for funds with farmer's ability to pay
11. Collecting irrigation fees: fostering a willingness to pay
12. The political economy of irrigation financing
13. Conclusions and recommendations
Notes
Index.

Subject Areas: Tropical agriculture: practice & techniques [TVQ], Development economics & emerging economies [KCM]