As water resources become increasing scare in India and demand only increases, the challenge of sustaining irrigation systems and the lands they serve is a matter of crucial importance. In particular, the livelihood of millions of farmers is threatened. India’s canal irrigation systems, which have so far made an enormous contribution to food security, are now in crisis because of increasing competition for water, poor management, and declining funding.

The authors of this book examine the nature of large-scale surface irrigation systems in India, analyze their associated problems, and discuss the options for reform. They also assess the impact of several pilot reform projects. Among the other important issues discussed are:

• the government’s financial constraints and the political implications of farmers’ demands
• viable options for institutional reform, including financially autonomous irrigation agencies and incentives for increasing farmers’ participation in management; and
• the cost of irrigation development and the effectiveness of participatory irrigation management.

Ashok Gulati is the Director of the Markets, Trade and Institutions Division at the International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC. He was previously NABARD Chair Professor at the Institute of Economic Growth, New Delhi; Chief Economist at the National Council of Applied Economic Research and a member of the Economic Advisory Council of the Prime Minster of India. Dr. Gulati's areas of research include analysis and policy advice on issues related to the functioning and restructuring of agricultural markets, rationalization of agricultural subsidies, trade liberalization and its impact on producers and consumers, and WTO and trade negotiations in agriculture. Among his publications are Trade Liberalization and Indian Agriculture (1999) and The Subsidy Syndrome in Indian Agriculture (2003), both co-authored.

Ruth Meinzen-Dick is a Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute, and Coordinator of the CGIAR System-wide Program in Collective Action and Property Rights. Much of Dr . Meinzen-Dick's work has involved interdisciplinary research on policies for water and natural resource management, water rights, gender analysis, comparative analysis of irrigation system performances, and impact of agricultural research on poverty. She has published extensively in journals and has co-edited Negotiating Water Rights (2000) and Innovation in Natural Resource Management: The Role of Property Rights and Collective Action in Developing Countries (2002).

K.V. Raju is Professor and Head of the Ecological Economics Unit of the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore. He has previously worked at the International Water Management Institute; the Institute for Economic Growth, Delhi; the Planning Commission; and the Institute of Rural Management, Anand. Professor Raju's research interests include water resources management, irrigation management, and groundwater management. He has also been involved in various evaluation studies related to agriculture, rural development and watershed. His publications include the co-authored works Users in Water Management (2002) and Rejuvenating Tanks: A Socio-Ecological Approach (2003).

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