#26

THE INPIM E-NEWSLETTER
May 2003, Number 26
http://www.inpim.org

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The contents of the INPIM E-Newsletter do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the International Network on Participatory Irrigation Management or the opinions of INPIM leadership.
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In This Issue:

News:

1.         SIMI (Smallholder Irrigation Market Initiative) net Website is Now Online

2.         New Website on Modernization of Irrigation Schemes

3.         AMIT Project Final Report and Fact Sheet on Affordable Micro Irrigation and the Market Approach Now Available

INPIM Activities:

4.         INPIM ED Participates in a World Bank/FAO Mission to Albania

Upcoming Events:

5.         Short Courses: Irrigation System Evaluation and Designer/Manager School of Irrigation, June and August 2003, Various Locations, USA

6.         International Advanced Course on Water Resources Data Analysis: Data Processing, Interpreting and Design, 21-31 July 2003, Istanbul, Turkey

7.         World Water Week in Stockholm, August 10-16, 2003 & 13th Stockholm Water Symposium, “Drainage Basin Security – Balancing Production, Trade and Water Use", August 11-14, Sweden

8.         Sixth Water Information Summit, 9-12 September 2003, Delft, Netherlands

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1. SIMI (Smallholder Irrigation Market Initiative) net Website is Now Online

In 2002, the SIMI Network Launching Event was held in Ruttihuebelbad, Switzerland (SIMI = Smallholder Irrigation Market Initiative). The SIMInet web site is now on line. People involved in small-scale irrigation development are encouraged to give feedback and send suggestions, ideas and texts for the site. In particular the page with on-going initiatives is incomplete and needs short paragraphs describing the respective initiatives.

Other efforts which are going on behind the scene are:

- The production of a second resource CD (available in June)

- Preparation of a very practical training course on market creation for low-cost micro-irrigation (to be held in November 2003 in India, detailed information should follow soon)

- A multipartner initiative for funding SIMI network operations

Transmitted by: Sjon van 't Hof (mailto:info@hipponet.nl), HIPPO Foundation (www.hipponet.nl), Netherlands

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2. New Website on Modernization of Irrigation Schemes

The Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations launches a new website dedicated to the modernization of irrigation systems. The website focuses on design, performance, operation, management and upgrading of medium or large-scale irrigation systems.

On this website, you will find:

News on events, publications, training courses, projects, updates of the website, etc. Website subscribers can post their related news on this website by contacting the webmaster at Jarut.Nakaramaleerat@fao.org.

Tools for use in the appraisal, benchmarking and upgrading of irrigation systems for modernization and their upgrading.

Training materials and programmes on operation and management, modernization and benchmarking of irrigation schemes. Training materials can be consulted on-line and downloaded from the website.

Publications from FAO on modernization of irrigation schemes and links to relevant publications form other agencies and publishers. FAO publications can be downloaded for free from the website.

A Web-board for exchange of information and documents on the modernization of irrigation systems. You must subscribe to the website in order to consult and post on the web-board.

Technical briefs and papers on technical, strategic and policy aspects of irrigation modernization. Technical briefs submitted by subscribers of the website will be uploaded on the website after review by the website manager.

Links to related sites, projects, organizations and databases.

By signing up to the website, you can participate in the web-board, get news on modernization activities and website updates, receive new FAO products on irrigation system modernization, post news and technical documents, have a link on the website to your website, organization or project.

The manager of this website is Thierry Facon, Regional Water Management Officer, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (Thierry.Facon@fao.org) and the webmaster is Jarut Nakaramaleerat (Jarut.Nakaramaleerat@fao.org). Please contact them for any information or problem related to the use of this website.

Although the website is primarily destined for use by the irrigation and drainage professional community of Asia, it is believed that most of the documents, methodologies, tools and training materials available on the site will be of interest to professionals from other regions. It is hoped that the web-board of the site, links and technical briefs will facilitate the exchange of information among the professionals of Asia and other regions.

Thierry Facon

Water Management Officer

FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

39, Phra Athit Road

Bangkok 10200, Thailand

www.watercontrol.org

Tel: office +66-2-6974156

mobile +66-1-8164784

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3. AMIT Project Final Report and Fact Sheet on Affordable Micro Irrigation and the Market Approach Now Available

A research project (DFID Knowledge and Research Programme (KAR) R7392) on Affordable Micro Irrigation Technology (AMIT) was conducted in India and Zimbabwe during 1999-2002. The aim was to identify and address constraints to adoption of low-cost, improved, trickle irrigation technologies (bucket kit, drum kit, etc.) by poor farmers on a commercially sustainable basis. An amply illustrated, 8-page factsheet and the full final report are available on ITC's website at www.itcltd.com/final_reports.htm.

Some of the conclusions are that: (1) in India, there is a lack of conclusive evidence of commercially sustainable markets in micro-irrigation being developed; (2) small unit AMIT kits do not offer much incentive in terms of livelihood impact to poor farmers, albeit they can provide some assistance with regard to food security through production of vegetables for the household; (3) the larger customized and pressurized systems, more akin to conventional drip technology, do offer greater benefits and are more attractive to farmers who can make the required investment; (4) it may prove difficult to transfer low Indian prices into Africa; and (5) the market-oriented approach itself can offer advantages in getting technology to poorer farmers, in a specific enabling environment.

Transmitted by: Sjon van 't Hof (hippomp@net.hcc.nl), HIPPO Foundation, Netherlands

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4. INPIM ED Participates in a World Bank/FAO Mission to Albania

From May 6 to 10 J. Raymond Peter, Executive Director of INPIM joined a group of World Bank staff in Albania where he continued making arrangements for the planned Seventh International Seminar on Participatory Irrigation Management which is to be held in Tirana, Albania on June 13 - 18, 2004. Albania offers an exciting venue for the seminar given the reform and rehabilitation process of its irrigation systems currently being undertaken.  The Government of Albania’s efforts in rebuilding the country’s irrigation infrastructure through water users associations would provide excellent insights for participants concerned with irrigation management in East Europe and Central Asia.  Field sites close to Tirana, Elbasan, and Durres were visited.

The Prime Minister’s Office and the Minister Agriculture of Albania are each supporting the seminar.  INPIM in partnership with the World Bank Albanian Irrigation Rehabilitation Project Management Unit will be chiefly responsible for organizing the seminar. The seminar is planned for 70 international and 30 local Albanian participants. 

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5. Short Courses: Irrigation System Evaluation and Designer/Manager School of Irrigation, June and August 2003, Various Locations, USA

The Irrigation System Evaluation Short Courses are:

Evaluation Class 1: Theory and Laboratory Practice of Evaluation which is to be held on June 16 (8am) - June 18 (noon) ~ 2 1/2 days at the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo,

And

Evaluation Class 2: San Joaquin Valley Field Evaluation of Drip/Micro Systems which is to be held on June 18 (noon) - June 20 (5pm) ~ 2 1/2 days in 2 fields near Harris Farms in the San Joaquin Valley.

For more information please visit: http://www.itrc.org/classes/ISEclass.html

The Designer/Manager School of Irrigation short course will be conducted at the Cal Poly Irrigation Training and Research Center on August 14 - September 5, 2003. The course will be conducted in 1-3 day classes covering basic soil/plant/water relationships, hydraulics, pumps, chemigation, row crop drip, micro irrigation, and irrigation scheduling. Attend one day or the entire 3 1/2 weeks. Classes cover material for the Irrigation Association certification program including CID-Drip and the new Certified Ag Irrigation Specialist (CAIS).

Co-sponsor: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region.

For more information please visit: http://www.itrc.org/classes/DesMgr.html.

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6. International Advanced Course on Water Resources Data Analysis: Data Processing, Interpreting and Design, 21-31 July 2003, Istanbul, Turkey

This two week course will be held in July 21-31, 2003 by the Water Engineering Research and Development Center (WERDEC), Water Foundation in Istanbul, TURKEY. The objectives of the course are 1) To provide technical and administrative personnel of developing countries 2) To encourage collaborative research and active exchange of ideas at the international level.

The course is mainly designed for engineers, researchers, scientists, educators, managers, decision-makers, especially professionals involved in engineering and administrative field of regional and state institutions, operating in the planning and management of water resources systems, higher educational institutions. A basic degree in engineering and science should suffice. The course will be given in English.

Please send your applications before 10 June. e-mail : werdec@suvakfi.org.tr;

Phone : +90 216 318 95 74 ; Fax : +90 216 318 51 55;
http://www.suvakfi.org.tr/werdec/FORM2.asp

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7. World Water Week in Stockholm, August 10-16, 2003 & 13th Stockholm Water Symposium, “Drainage Basin Security – Balancing Production, Trade and Water Use", August 11-14, Sweden

The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) has the pleasure of inviting you to the World Water Week in Stockholm, August 10-16, 2003, and the 13th Stockholm Water Symposium, August 11-14. An interdisciplinary symposium, seminars and side events organised by leading organisations, and festive ceremonies make the World Water Week an important annual global platform for continuing dialogue on tomorrow's water issues.

This year, the week also provides an excellent opportunity to discuss the practical implementation of decisions reached and initiatives launched during the 3rd World Water Forum and the World Summit on Sustainable Development, particularly as they relate to the UN Millennium Development Goals and the Johannesburg water-related targets.

For more information, please download the Program Announcement PDF document on www.siwi.org/waterweek2003.

Article by Netherlands Water Partnership under the aegis of RIZA for the European Water Association (EWA) and originally published in the European Water Management News, Wednesday 21 May 2003.

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8. Sixth Water Information Summit, 9-12 September 2003, Delft, Netherlands

The Sixth Water Information Summit (WIS-6) will be held from 9-12 September 2003. It will provide a very good opportunity for individuals to gain insight into the latest developments on knowledge and information sharing in Integrated Water Resources Management and Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation.

The WaterWeb Consortium (www.WaterWeb.org) with partners including IRC, UNESCO/WWAP, GEF-IW: Learn, OAS-IWRN, and the World Bank, have been meeting for six years and working on processes and techniques to make quality water information easily available. The Water Information Summit (WIS-6) will be held in Europe for the first time and will be hosted by the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre in the UNESCO-IHE Institute in Delft. The Summit will focus on strategies to overcome the digital divide between North and South and within the South and to share knowledge and information in support of the management of the water and sanitation sectors.

For more information please e-mail wis6delft@irc.nl.

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