PIM IN ALBANIA

1
PIM IN ALBANIA

• Ylli Dedja
• PMU Irrigation Drainage
• Ministry of AgricultureFood
• Albania

2
CONTENT

• BACKGROUND
• WORLD BANK PROJECT
• Achievement
• Lessons Learnt
• Outstanding Issues
• Strategies and Actions for Future
• Second World Bank Project

3
Legend From Socialist Era

• 430,000 ha developed during socialist era
  - Gravity based, 10,000 ha on
  average
• Agriculture was managed by state
  -Irrigation/Drainage ----Water
  Enterprises - Farming----state farm,
  Co-operatives (forced)
• System deterioration Started in 80s
  - financial difficulties
  -
  inefficient management

4
Collapse of Socialist Regime

• Sector Issues
  -vacuum of
  irrigation managm on-farm -80 of system
  damaged due to 1991civil unrest
• Sector Strategies
  -urgent
  rehabilitation to support emerging small
  farmers
  -development of WUAs at
  secondary level -gradual reform of water
  enterprise

5
WORLD BANK PROJECT

• APPROACH
• Rehabilitation -Driven WUA Development
• Develop Legal Framework first
• Using Village Ties to Organize Farmers
• Focus on Bottom-up Approach (training at
  villages, increase numbers of supporters)

6
WORLD BANK PROJECT (2)

• Achievement
• 120,000 ha rehabilitated
• more than 400 WUAs developed (150,000 families)
• 90,000 ha transferred to WUAs
• 21 Federation of WUAs

7
IMPACT

• Rehabilitation --- Yield, Income/ Increase -
  300/ ha increase/year vs. cost (500)
• PIM---increase Sustainability/Ownership -
  State Subsidies reduced
  -US 1.63 mil.--- 0.5 mil,
• staff redused 1,500---350
  
• Cost Recovery 0--40-60
• no damages any more

8
Factors Contributing to Success

• Rehabilitation
• Supporting Legal Framework
• Respect Farmers Idea (USERISEM)
• Trust between Govt and Farmers

9
Factors Contributing to Success

• Rehabilitation is key as a first step to develop
  WUAs
• reduces farmers skepticism
• increase Govt credibility
• increase farmers interest in agriculture
• ha demonstration effects for other non
  rehabilitated areas

10
Factors Contributing to Success

• Legal Frameworks (Water Law, Irrigation and
  Drainage Law)
• provide options rather than instructions
• provide formal recognition
• timely review and revision as WUAs evolve
• legal entity and financial autonomy (1993)
• transfer of secondary canals (1995)
• federation (1997), transfer primary canals (1998)

11
Factors Contributing to Success

• USERISM (Empowerment of Farmers)
• Extensive, Continuous Technical Assistance to
  farmers---Create Critical Mass among farmers
• Extensive Participation/Ownership-Design,
  Contract Supervision, OperationMaintenance
• Transfer of Canals based on Demand

12
Factors Contributing to Success

• Trust between Government and Farmers
• Transparency and Accountability
• Design, Procurement, Civil Works Implementation.
• Executive Communications
• Involvement of High Govt Officials
• Frequent PMU Staffs Site-visits to Villages
• National and District WUAs seminars (post and
  pre-irrigation seminars)

13
ISSUES

• Collapsing Water Enterprises
• management vacuum at primary canals level
• no cost recovery at primary level
• Week Capacity of WUAs
• deferred maintenance
• weak technical capacity
• lack of accountability and transparency
• Initiatives Limited to Project Area

14
Strategies and Actions

• Restructuring Water Enterprises
• Drainage Boards
• Strengthening WUAs
• Nation-Wide Expansion

15
Strategies and Actions

• Restructuring Water Enterprises
• Gradual consolidation to regional drainage
• Transfer of Primary Irrigation Canals to
  WUAs/FWUAs
• Involvement of beneficiaries (farmers,
  municipalities) to the management
• Realignment from district-based to River-Basin
  Management

16
Strategies and Actions

• Strengthen WUA Capacity
• Individualize Technical Assistance (Depends on
  the WUAs needs)
• Increase membership coverage

17
Strengthen WUA Capacity

• Individualize Technical Assistance
• Assessment of WUAs
• Provide Special Attention to weak WUAs
• Monitoring election, Frequent visit, Audit, TA on
  Administration, Hearing from members
• Advanced Tech. Assistance to strong WUAs
• Production Association
• Aqua-Culture
• Federation of WUAs

18
Strengthen WUA Capacity

• Increase Membership Coverage
• Hearing from non-members
• Facilitating Discussions between non-members and
  WUAs
• Establish a women committee within WUAs to
  encourage participation of women-headed families
  (due mainly to migrant working)

19
Strategies and Actions

• Nation-Wide Expansion
• Nation -Wide Expansion
• 26 Districts
• Demand Driven and Quid Stud Pro Rehabilitation

20
Demand-Driven and Quid Stud Pro Rehabilitation

• Farmers will organize WUAs first
• Rehabilitation of Primary Canals
• 20 of Contributions from WUAs for secondary
  canal Rehabilitation
• ensure ownership and commitment of Farmers

21
ALBANIA

• THANK YOU!