Welcome to IHE's online course on irrigation management and development. This course deals with the major elements and challenges in the management of irrigation systems. We start by looking into the objectives of management in different settings, and how technology in irrigation systems interact with their social, economic and political environment, which is crucial in understanding how systems are managed and what the effect of interventions could be. We evaluate different tasks in irrigation management and how these differ in several types of systems, such as farmer- or agency-managed schemes. These tasks include water allocation and distribution, maintenance, decision-making and conflict resolution, and resource mobilization. We also look into the different options for (external) interventions and what challenges these pose for development and modernization of irrigation.
Picture: the ancient waruwaru system in Peru (source: ancientpages.com)
