Introduction The rapid expansion of irrigated land in Asia since the 1960s and the introduction o... more Introduction The rapid expansion of irrigated land in Asia since the 1960s and the introduction of modern cereal seed and fertilizer technology have undoubtedly been key factors to the achievement of food security in the region. For more than a decade, however, there has been a growing recognition that large-scale gravity irrigation systems funded by public investments have performed poorly, and have not shown significant improvements with further investments for rehabilitation (Mukherji et al. 2009). Moreover, attempts to devolve operation and maintenance (O&M) to irrigators’ associations through Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) or Irrigation Management Transfer (IMT) programs have not generally led to improved productivity nor O&M.
The PIDS Discussion Paper Series constitutes studies that are preliminary and subject to further ... more The PIDS Discussion Paper Series constitutes studies that are preliminary and subject to further revisions. They are being circulated in a limited number of copies only for purposes of soliciting comments and suggestions for further refinements. The studies under the Series are unedited and unreviewed. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute. Not for quotation without permission from the author(s) and the Institute.
What is the basic water requirement per month of a Philippine household consisting of six members... more What is the basic water requirement per month of a Philippine household consisting of six members? This study provides an estimate based on various household activities dovetailed to local practices and situation which may serve as a valuable input in water sector planning, water supply allocation, and water pricing determination.water sector, water demand
This discussion paper presents an analysis of the performance of national (NIS) and communal irri... more This discussion paper presents an analysis of the performance of national (NIS) and communal irrigation systems (CIS) by region, complemented by technical and institutional assessments of 30 sample NIS and 66 sample CIS in Luzon. It shows that there is value in looking at subnational trends. Using secondary data from the central and regional offices of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and the systems, complemented by key informant interviews and ocular inspections, this study establishes key institutional and technical constraints to improving the performance of NIS and CIS systems. In addition to the selected key performance indicators, some ratios are used to characterize the capacities of the systems in terms of manpower, level of functionality, financial structure, and productivity of the systems. This study examines the NIS cases by province, size (large, medium, small), technology (gravity type vs pump type), location (upstream, midstream, downstream), vintage (pre...
The Philippines' forest cover has suffered from massive denudation through the years due to u... more The Philippines' forest cover has suffered from massive denudation through the years due to uncontrolled and indiscriminate commercial logging. Because of this, calls for a total logging ban had been raised in various fora, including in the legislature where bills that consider the possibility of a ban are being studied. However, the possible economic costs of such ban as espoused in some studies has delayed the passage of these bills. This Policy Notes provides some economic costing based on computations that may help in firming up decisions regarding the proposed ban.forestry sector, environmental issues, environmental management
This study is a preliminary assessment of the policy change brought by the Free Irrigation Servic... more This study is a preliminary assessment of the policy change brought by the Free Irrigation Service Act through an examination of secondary data and collection of primary information through key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The study found that free irrigation had the potential to benefit millions of individuals, although it only led to a small savings in palay production cost. Moreover, while palay farmers were poorer than the average household, most of them were not poor. The study urges the government to continue pursuing irrigation management transfer within the context of free irrigation based on minimum maintenance for the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and transparent maintenance standards for both NIA and irrigators’ associations. It also calls for a sustained and increasing subsidy for operations and maintenance, which must be made available only on a performance basis. The study advocates for the transformation of NIA into a service agency spe...
This paper explores the potential for a sustained and mutually beneficial partnership between the... more This paper explores the potential for a sustained and mutually beneficial partnership between the Philippine government through the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the light of the national and global challenges faced by the Philippine rice sector. In this context, the paper examines the National Rice Program and sector performance over time, and analyzes government spending in connection with the program.
constitutes studies that are preliminary and subject to further revisions. They are being circula... more constitutes studies that are preliminary and subject to further revisions. They are being circulated in a limited number of copies only for purposes of soliciting comments and suggestions for further refinements. The studies under the Series are unedited and unreviewed. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute. Not for quotation without permission from the author(s) and the Institute.
Widespread water shortages in Metro Manila have made the urban water problem a central policy iss... more Widespread water shortages in Metro Manila have made the urban water problem a central policy issue. President Ramos recently called a "Water Summit Meeting" and directed all concerned agencies to develop a short- and medium-term strategy for addressing the impending water crisis. In Congress, the Water Crisis Act was passed which empowered the President to contract new water supply projects expeditiously, bypassing the normal bidding procedures. About $7 million is being spent to develop an action program to privatize the Metro Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS). And with the widespread perception of gross inefficiency and graft and corruption of the MWSS, its administrator and some of its Board members have been replaced by credible professionals from outside the agency. Comparison with the public waterworks system in other ASEAN countries indeed show the weak performance of the MWSS (Table 1). Only 69% of the MWSS service area is covered by piped water connect...
In Molden, David (Ed.). Water for food, water for life: a Comprehensive Assessment of Water Manag... more In Molden, David (Ed.). Water for food, water for life: a Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture. London, UK: Earthscan; Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI).
constitutes studies that are preliminary and subject to further revisions. They are be-ing circul... more constitutes studies that are preliminary and subject to further revisions. They are be-ing circulated in a limited number of cop-ies only for purposes of soliciting com-ments and suggestions for further refine-ments. The studies under the Series are unedited and unreviewed. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not neces-sarily reflect those of the Institute. Not for quotation without permission from the author(s) and the Institute.
As in many other countries, the poor economic rate of return of many past irrigation projects in ... more As in many other countries, the poor economic rate of return of many past irrigation projects in India contributed to the decline in irrigation investment and lending by international agencies, especially since the 1990s (Gulati and Narayanan 2003, Pitman 2002, Jones 1995). Furthermore, these low rates of economic return may have diminished the poverty reduction impacts of such irrigation projects. The performance of Indian agriculture has been closely related to changes in agricultural productivity. Increases in agricultural productivity have been partly attributed to substantial increases in irrigated area (Meizen-Dick and Rosegrant 2005, Vyas in Mundle et al. 2003). This study provides a systematic analysis of the factors determining the performance, measured in terms of economic rate of return, of irrigation projects using data from 314 irrigation projects worldwide. Specifically, this paper: (1) examines the trends in performance of irrigation investments in India over time and...
Introduction The rapid expansion of irrigated land in Asia since the 1960s and the introduction o... more Introduction The rapid expansion of irrigated land in Asia since the 1960s and the introduction of modern cereal seed and fertilizer technology have undoubtedly been key factors to the achievement of food security in the region. For more than a decade, however, there has been a growing recognition that large-scale gravity irrigation systems funded by public investments have performed poorly, and have not shown significant improvements with further investments for rehabilitation (Mukherji et al. 2009). Moreover, attempts to devolve operation and maintenance (O&M) to irrigators’ associations through Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) or Irrigation Management Transfer (IMT) programs have not generally led to improved productivity nor O&M.
The PIDS Discussion Paper Series constitutes studies that are preliminary and subject to further ... more The PIDS Discussion Paper Series constitutes studies that are preliminary and subject to further revisions. They are being circulated in a limited number of copies only for purposes of soliciting comments and suggestions for further refinements. The studies under the Series are unedited and unreviewed. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute. Not for quotation without permission from the author(s) and the Institute.
What is the basic water requirement per month of a Philippine household consisting of six members... more What is the basic water requirement per month of a Philippine household consisting of six members? This study provides an estimate based on various household activities dovetailed to local practices and situation which may serve as a valuable input in water sector planning, water supply allocation, and water pricing determination.water sector, water demand
This discussion paper presents an analysis of the performance of national (NIS) and communal irri... more This discussion paper presents an analysis of the performance of national (NIS) and communal irrigation systems (CIS) by region, complemented by technical and institutional assessments of 30 sample NIS and 66 sample CIS in Luzon. It shows that there is value in looking at subnational trends. Using secondary data from the central and regional offices of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and the systems, complemented by key informant interviews and ocular inspections, this study establishes key institutional and technical constraints to improving the performance of NIS and CIS systems. In addition to the selected key performance indicators, some ratios are used to characterize the capacities of the systems in terms of manpower, level of functionality, financial structure, and productivity of the systems. This study examines the NIS cases by province, size (large, medium, small), technology (gravity type vs pump type), location (upstream, midstream, downstream), vintage (pre...
The Philippines' forest cover has suffered from massive denudation through the years due to u... more The Philippines' forest cover has suffered from massive denudation through the years due to uncontrolled and indiscriminate commercial logging. Because of this, calls for a total logging ban had been raised in various fora, including in the legislature where bills that consider the possibility of a ban are being studied. However, the possible economic costs of such ban as espoused in some studies has delayed the passage of these bills. This Policy Notes provides some economic costing based on computations that may help in firming up decisions regarding the proposed ban.forestry sector, environmental issues, environmental management
This study is a preliminary assessment of the policy change brought by the Free Irrigation Servic... more This study is a preliminary assessment of the policy change brought by the Free Irrigation Service Act through an examination of secondary data and collection of primary information through key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The study found that free irrigation had the potential to benefit millions of individuals, although it only led to a small savings in palay production cost. Moreover, while palay farmers were poorer than the average household, most of them were not poor. The study urges the government to continue pursuing irrigation management transfer within the context of free irrigation based on minimum maintenance for the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and transparent maintenance standards for both NIA and irrigators’ associations. It also calls for a sustained and increasing subsidy for operations and maintenance, which must be made available only on a performance basis. The study advocates for the transformation of NIA into a service agency spe...
This paper explores the potential for a sustained and mutually beneficial partnership between the... more This paper explores the potential for a sustained and mutually beneficial partnership between the Philippine government through the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the light of the national and global challenges faced by the Philippine rice sector. In this context, the paper examines the National Rice Program and sector performance over time, and analyzes government spending in connection with the program.
constitutes studies that are preliminary and subject to further revisions. They are being circula... more constitutes studies that are preliminary and subject to further revisions. They are being circulated in a limited number of copies only for purposes of soliciting comments and suggestions for further refinements. The studies under the Series are unedited and unreviewed. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute. Not for quotation without permission from the author(s) and the Institute.
Widespread water shortages in Metro Manila have made the urban water problem a central policy iss... more Widespread water shortages in Metro Manila have made the urban water problem a central policy issue. President Ramos recently called a "Water Summit Meeting" and directed all concerned agencies to develop a short- and medium-term strategy for addressing the impending water crisis. In Congress, the Water Crisis Act was passed which empowered the President to contract new water supply projects expeditiously, bypassing the normal bidding procedures. About $7 million is being spent to develop an action program to privatize the Metro Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS). And with the widespread perception of gross inefficiency and graft and corruption of the MWSS, its administrator and some of its Board members have been replaced by credible professionals from outside the agency. Comparison with the public waterworks system in other ASEAN countries indeed show the weak performance of the MWSS (Table 1). Only 69% of the MWSS service area is covered by piped water connect...
In Molden, David (Ed.). Water for food, water for life: a Comprehensive Assessment of Water Manag... more In Molden, David (Ed.). Water for food, water for life: a Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture. London, UK: Earthscan; Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI).
constitutes studies that are preliminary and subject to further revisions. They are be-ing circul... more constitutes studies that are preliminary and subject to further revisions. They are be-ing circulated in a limited number of cop-ies only for purposes of soliciting com-ments and suggestions for further refine-ments. The studies under the Series are unedited and unreviewed. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not neces-sarily reflect those of the Institute. Not for quotation without permission from the author(s) and the Institute.
As in many other countries, the poor economic rate of return of many past irrigation projects in ... more As in many other countries, the poor economic rate of return of many past irrigation projects in India contributed to the decline in irrigation investment and lending by international agencies, especially since the 1990s (Gulati and Narayanan 2003, Pitman 2002, Jones 1995). Furthermore, these low rates of economic return may have diminished the poverty reduction impacts of such irrigation projects. The performance of Indian agriculture has been closely related to changes in agricultural productivity. Increases in agricultural productivity have been partly attributed to substantial increases in irrigated area (Meizen-Dick and Rosegrant 2005, Vyas in Mundle et al. 2003). This study provides a systematic analysis of the factors determining the performance, measured in terms of economic rate of return, of irrigation projects using data from 314 irrigation projects worldwide. Specifically, this paper: (1) examines the trends in performance of irrigation investments in India over time and...
Uploads
Papers by Arlene B Inocencio