Viet Nam: creating conditions for improved irrigation service delivery - the case of the Phuoc Hoa water resources project
Date
2005
Authors
Gilard, Olivier, author
Dao, Chu Tran, author
Phong, Ho Le, author
Smidt, Pieter, author
U.S. Committee on Irrigation and Drainage, publisher
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
About one third of the Vietnamese population live below the poverty line, of whom 85% live in rural areas, and 70% of the labor force depends on agriculture. To help improve rural incomes, the Government of Viet Nam continues to place high priority on investments in water resource infrastructure to increase agricultural productivity and reduce rural poverty. At present, more than 2.6 million ha of agricultural land in Viet Nam are irrigated through 75 large and medium-scales schemes and thousands of small-scale systems. These systems are managed by state-owned Irrigation Management Companies (IMCs) and thousands of agricultural cooperatives and water user groups (WUGs). The country's irrigation systems realize only about 50-60% of the design targets as a result of a number of constraints that limit performance. The Government has recognized that a new strategy is needed to improve system performance in Viet Nam. Hence, policies on water service delivery have shifted to a more decentralized and participatory approach. Government policy now promotes autonomy for the IMCs and establishing/ strengthening of WUGs at the local level. Under the Phuoc Hoa Water Resources Project, an irrigation project recently initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, it is intended to operationalize the Government's new approach. This project offers a unique opportunity to do this as local irrigation institutions are still to be developed. A "road map" for achieving sustainable management of the project's irrigation system is presented.
Description
Presented during the Third international conference on irrigation and drainage held March 30 - April 2, 2005 in San Diego, California. The theme of the conference was "Water district management and governance."