Analyses the participation of female farmers in the farmer organizations (FO) of minor irrigation systems and identifies factors that hamper the participation of women in decision-making processes with regard to land, cultivation and irrigation. The paper argues that participation does not necessarily result in equity and that other forms of equity interact with gender inequity in the FOs.

The management of water resources is being transformed in South Africa. All water users, especially the small-scale ones, are now invited to participate in this movement. This report reviews the process of inclusion of small-scale users in the new large-scale Water User Associations (WUA).Considering the difficulties encountered in this process, this report also recommend external monitoring after the transformation of an Irrigation Board into a WUA. This method may also facilitate assessment of the inclusion of small-scale users into catchment management agencies, and water resource management organizations.

Contributed papers presented at the conference organized by International Water Management Institute, Irrigation Dept., Dept. of Agriculture, and Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute.

Although gender issues are today a priority on the agendas of irrigation policy makers, interventionists, farm leaders and researchers, there is still a considerable gap between positive intentions and concrete action. An important but hitherto ignored reason for this is the lack of adequate generic concepts and tools that are policy-relevant and can accommodate the vast variation in irrigation contexts worldwide. The Gender Performance Indicator for Irrigation (GPII) aims to fill this gap. In any particular scheme, this tool diagnoses the gendered organization of farming and gender-based inclusion or exclusion in irrigation institutions. It informs irrigation agencies what they themselves can do for effective change-if necessary. The tool also identifies gender issues beyond a strict mandate of irrigation water provision. The Indicator was applied and tested in nine case studies in Africa and Asia. The research report presents the underlying concepts, methodological guidelines and selected applications of the GPII.

A Centre Commissioned External Review (CCER) of the International Water Management Institute, Headquarters (IWMI-HQ) was carried out in Colombo in the period 20–28 May 2003. This came immediately after the reviews of the Regional Offices (Africa–by Prof. Alaphia Wright, Asia–by Prof. A. Vaidyanathan, and South East Asia–by Dr. Beatriz P. Del Rosario). The review was undertaken within the context of the (then) ongoing IWMI review and strategic planning process for future priority setting.

This volume examines the management of Common Property Resources, like water, forestry, and land, and is intended to provide an account of the transformation of the commons in a rapidly changing South Asia. Contributions cover a wide range of natural resources and deal with issues such as equity, efficiency, productivity, and sustainability.

Resolving these problems is crucial for the future.