Exploring social networks in a small tank cascade system in Northcentral Sri Lanka: First steps to establishing adaptive governance

Abstract

Systems of irrigation governance that are community-led, flexible, and adaptive are better suited to meet the needs of local communities, resolve conflicts and minimize risks posed by a changing climate. Small Tank Cascade Systems (STCS) in Sri Lanka's dry zone have been critical to ensuring food and livelihood securities of local communities, and governance of STCS to reduce future climate risks will assume increased significance. Adaptive co-management (ACM) practices could reconcile complex natural resources management issues by incorporating flexible community-based resource management systems tailored to specific geographical places and contexts, supported by organizations working at various scales. We sought opportunities to enhance existing systems of resource governance through ACM as a response to the uncertainty surrounding changes in climate. The first steps were to identify actors and processes related to the governance of Palugaswewa STCS through the cultivation meeting; a key decision process for resource management. We used social network analysis (SNA) with a survey of 48 farmers to identify key actors, their roles and responsibilities, practices and decision processes. The findings indicate that current decision processes are compartmentalized within the cascade system with less collaboration among actors in the upper, middle and lower parts of the cascade than anticipated. We conclude that governance structures of STCS could be improved by recognizing and incorporating informal actors, farmer subgroups, existing social relationships and community norms. To minimize future climate risks, information provision to farmers needs to recognize existing information flows in local networks, develop strategies to enhance existing relationships, build on existing adaptive/flexible decision processes, foster collaboration across the cascade system and develop governance mechanisms that operate at cascade/catchment level.