Message 54: Rajendra Singh Gautam

Rajendra Singh Gautam gives his reaction to the questions posed

The What and How?

What should be done to effectively mainstream gender in water management in agriculture?

There is need for a dedicated and committed bottom up participatory approach by the government that make essential provisions to ensure participation of all sections of the community and particularly of the weaker sections and women at various stages of water management such as planning, decision making, implementation, monitoring, maintenance, management and equal distribution of benefits, etc.

Gender mainstreaming requires time, patience and personal commitment from the facilitator either government or non-government.

Since, a large portion of the rural communities (particularly in developing world like India) which, engaged in agriculture sector lacking awareness and education. Therefore, community mobilization, conscientization, and capacity building are essential to create inner desire or willingness within them on the one hand and to develop their technical and managerial skills on the other to participate in their own development.

The whole process of water management takes place within the framework of socio-economic and political development so; important point is creation of efficient and sustainable institutional framework at the grass roots level to overcome the conflicting objectives, free riders problem and sharing cost and benefits judiciously moreover, they can succeed only with farmer’s contribution and their commitment of time and resources.

There is a need for a flexible approach that takes into consideration local conditions and provided for locally adopted implementation strategies that are more successful in meeting the objectives of watershed programme.

A institutionalize mechanism is needed for strengthening partnership of local institutions with the government, private sector, non government sector, research institutions, market, credit institutions, etc. with clearly defined roles and responsibilities.

Regular flow of funds and information about improved technologies and market is the key to the success for any intervention.

What are the feasible steps that need to be taken by the different stakeholders on the ground and at different levels of decision making/intervention?

Local leadership plays an important role in enlisting people’s participation in water management by mobilizing people’s resources, energy and by assuring them equitable distribution of benefits to be accrued from the intervention. Thus, there is need to develop right kind of leadership at local level.

The issues of equity need to be incorporated in the design of the project itself to ensure project sustainability.

The need for greater transparency and accountability has become more important because public perceptions about faulty utilization of funds and corruption affect the community participation in the water management. A transparent process in deciding priorities, funds and resources utilization, benefit sharing, etc., ensure greater participation.

As far as the minimum agenda is concerned, I have no information about that so, I am not in a possition to say some thing about it

Note:

The all the statements made above are based on my doctoral research on “People’s Participation in Water Conservation and Management: A Study of Malwa-region (MP), India and the Virtual Workshop conducted on the subject “Participatory Approach to Integrated Watershed Development and Management” the behalf of 4th World Water Forum, Mexico, 2006 (see concluded virtual workshop at www.worldwaterforum4.org.mx)