International Training-of-Trainers Course on Capacity Building for PIM

The second annual international training-of-trainers course on Capacity Building for PIM" was held at the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari (MAIB) in Italy, from September 7 to 23, 1998. The course was co-sponsored by MAIB and the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank (EDI). Some 50 participants from 12 countries (Albania, Algeria, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Tunisia, Turkey, and Vietnam) attended the course.

The focus of the course was on training strategies and capacity building activities for implementing PIM. These capacity building activities include public awareness, legal framework, and institutional reforms for the irrigation agencies and the establishment of water users associations. The 2.5 week course covered the following themes:

Week 1: Basic concepts and international experiences of PIM, including training methods and communication skills;

Week 2: Implementation aspects of PIM including policy changes, legal framework, restructuring of irrigation agencies, organizing of WUAs, and monitoring and evaluation.

Week 3: Capacity building strategies and preparing action plans

It is anticipated that some of the course graduates will conduct national level training-of-trainers courses in their home countries, using the curriculum of the Bari course as a guide. We look forward to reporting on national training activities in future issues of this Newsletter.

Video on the Bari Course

A 30-minute video is being produced which gives highlights of the TOT course in Bari, Italy. Copies will be distributed to each INPIM chapter and individual copies may be ordered from the INPIM Secretariat. For more information, please contact the INPIM Coordinator.

One of the highlights of the course was a visit by the Prime Minister of Italy, Prof. Romano Prodi, on Sept. 11. The Prime Minister was visiting the city of Bari and used the occasion to stop in on the Agronomic Institute where he met with the course participants. In discussions with MAIB director, Mr. Cosimo Ladiringnola, and the course director, Dr. Peter Sun, the Prime Minister endorsed the concept of PIM and indicated his support for a regional initiative on PIM.

For further information about the course, please contact:

Mr. Itaru Minami
Economic Development Institute
The World Bank
1818 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433
Tel: (202) 473-6444
Fax: (202) 676-0977
Email: IMinami@worldbank.org

International Meeting on Modernization of Irrigation Systems Operations

An International Meeting on Modernization of Irrigation Systems Operations, organized by IWMI, FAO and WALMI, was held in Aurangabad, India from October 28 to 30, 1998. The general objective of the meeting was to exchange experiences and achievements in the field of management of irrigation systems through modernization. About 50 persons from Asian countries and the host organizations attended the meeting. The convergence of ideas on the improvement process of performance of irrigation systems is certainly of interest to INPIM members.

The concepts of modernization have evolved over time. It is now well understood that irrigation modernization is not only limited to the introduction of modern hardware and software techniques but is rather a fundamental transformation of the management of water resources. A definition of irrigation modernization during an FAO consultation on modernization in Bangkok in 1996 captures the current general understanding:

Irrigation modernization is a process of technical and managerial upgrading (as opposed to mere rehabilitation) of irrigation systems combined with institutional reforms, with the objective to improve resource mobilization (labor, water, economic, environmental) and water delivery service to farms.

All papers presented at the Meeting and all speakers emphasized the above-mentioned dual nature of irrigation modernization. A paper presented by IWMI Pakistan staff concluded: `` A technical approach to modernization will likely be cost-effective, but significantly greater benefits will accrue from successfully employing a combination of institutional and technical measures." A number of papers presented recent experiences of irrigation modernization in India and Pakistan, such as the major Narmada project in Gujarat, the Majalgaon project in Maharahstra and the High level Pehur Canal in Pakistan. These projects reflect a progressive and encouraging trend in which modern design concepts are being adopted in a region with a relatively strong adherence to traditional engineering design standards.

Charles Burt from CalPoly presented the results of a World Bank-financed research study on the impact of modernization on the performance of 16 irrigation projects in different regions of the world. All these projects have some elements of physical or institutional modernization. The lack of training was identified by the study as a key bottleneck to rapid and appropriate modernization of irrigation systems. Improved training was identified as an essential ingredient required for a second revolution in irrigated agriculture. An ambitious modernization training program was proposed by FAO. The empowerment of users and the increasingly rapid transfer of management to business oriented water user associations in some countries may pave the way to this second revolution.

Herve Plusquellec
Washington, DC USA
Tel: (202-966-5956
Fax: (202) 966-5601
Email: Hplusquellec@worldbank.org

IIED Centre for Participatory Learning and Action

The International Institute on Environment and Development (IIED) has placed their Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) database on their website at http://www.iied.org/resource/. Documents can be requested by e-mail at resource.centre@iied.org. The PLA catalogue can also be obtained on diskette and will be available on CD-ROM in the near future. Please refer to the website for further information and conditions. The collection, which includes more than 1,500 documents covering all aspects of participatory approaches is mainly composed of unpublished literature, and features materials in more than 10 languages. For more information, see the website or contact:

Paul Mincher
Outreach & Network Development Coordinator
International Institute for Environment & Development
3 Endsleigh Street
London WC1H 0DD
United Kingdom

Visit INPIM's website!

For those of you who have access to the Internet, please visit the INPIM homepage (http://www.inpim.org) and tell your friends and colleagues about it. Your suggestions regarding content and format will be helpful in improving the site.