Abstract
AbstractDisempowerment and deprivation of access to irrigation water contribute to poverty. Water rights can yield significant benefits for poor farmers, but changes in water rights institutions pose risks if not well designed and developed. This paper describes pro‐poor options for improving irrigation water rights. Project interventions can deliberately negotiate water rights, for example through share systems, to reduce inequities in distribution and target improved supplies to poor people. Recourse to outside assistance for resolving water conflicts offers protection against local injustice, if water rights of user communities and individuals are suitably recognized. Measurement of water quantities, including suitable proxies such as proportional division of flows and time‐based turns, makes rights meaningful and management more accountable. Legal education and aid can empower poor water users to understand and defend their rights. Reforms in water rights can be sequenced to prioritize secure rights for poor water users. Thus, a range of institutional options is available for designing and implementing pro‐poor reforms in irrigation water rights. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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