Irrigation reform in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

This paper is to challenge the widespread perception of irrigation management as a purely technical system based on rational decision-making and implementation. It builds on a case study of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, two transitional developing countries in Central Asia. Both countries are characterized by a highly unsustainable water use. An institutional reform of irrigation management is conducted to make it sustainable (through efficiency), market-oriented (through cost-recovery, less state interference), and democratic (through decentralization, user participation). Main tools are the establishment of Water User Associations (WUAs) and the introduction of irrigation service fees (ISF). However, the mainly donor-driven reforms did not meet their objectives so far. The research is based on expert interviews and a case study of one WUA in each country. The study builds on a neo-institutionalist approach by analyzing the role institutions (defined as formal as well as informal rules) play in shaping actors perceptions, choices and strategies. The paper argues that obstacles to reform are rooted in two main aspects: (1) The institutional environment in agriculture and in local governance does not provide the necessary incentives and conditions for the reform to become effective. Hence newly established formal rules are not perceived as legitimate and are undermined by informal ones. (2) WUAs as new organizations are – in a process of “institutional bricolage” – incorporated in existing societal and political institutions.