Participatory management: Would it be a turning point in the history of the Gezira scheme?

Abstract

Abstract Since its establishment in 1925 decisions in the Sudan's Gezira irrigated scheme have been top‐down from the central headquarters of the Sudan Gezira Board (SGB). The irrigation system is divided into the upper system (US) that includes the dam, main, branch and major canals and the lower system that comprises the minor, tertiary and field channels. The Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources (MOIWR) is responsible for the O&M of the US in addition to the maintenance of the Minor canals. The operation of the minor canals is handled by the SGB. The maintenance of the minor canals was given to the SGB in 1999, thus unifying O&M for the first time in 75 years. This opened the door for the O&M to be handed to tenants in a pilot project (PP) supported by the FAO during 2000–2002. Crop yields in the PP outyielded the neighboring blocks as well as the scheme average during the two years of the project. The PP is to be extended to at least one block in each of the 18 Gezira administrative groups. The PP established the base of legalization and institutional arrangements that govern the water users' activities and resulted in a great change in tenants' attitudes towards water management. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Keywords

Affiliated Institutions

• Kobe University JP
• University of Gezira SD
• Agricultural Research Corporation SD

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