Farmer participation in irrigation systems : a case study of four minor irrigation systems from the dry

Abstract

Sri Lanka is an island in the Indian Ocean located between the Latitudes 5°55’-9050’N and Longitudes79°42’-81°52’E. Sri Lanka has two pronounced rainy seasons. One is from April to September (Yala Season) and the other is from October to March (Maha Season). The dry zone in the North and North Central parts of Sri Lanka receive approximately 1000-1200 mm of annual rain of which nearly 70% is from Maha rainy season. In the dry zone number of rainy days in the Maha season and in the Yala season are 75 and 40 respectively. Agriculture is the main livelihood of those in these areas. The major crop paddy is cultivated in fields under cascades of small reservoirs, which run dry during the April to September season. Out of the total irrigated paddy area of the island, nearly 40% is fed from minor reservoirs that have less than 80ha under each of them. The Government of Sri Lanka in its effort to uplift the living standards of people in this area is presently engaged in rehabilitation of minor tanks. The most important task that has to be achieved following the rehabilitation of the tank embankment, the sluices and the spillway is the efficient management of the water that gets into the tanks during brief rainy periods. An efficient water management system and an improved infrastructure would ensure water security for the dry zone farmer.

In Sri Lanka the tradition is that males cultivate and produce the grains for a living while females look after the children and the house. The males control water in the reservoir while the females carryout domestic water management, which is centered around a dug well. Housewives either use their own private well or share water from a neighbour’s well or a community well for cooking, toilets, and vegetable plots. Bathing, washing cloths and bathing children are done at the irrigation reservoir.