Community-managed groundwater irrigation on the Vientiane Plain of Lao PDR: planning, implementation and findings from a pilot trial

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cg.contributor.crpWater, Land and Ecosystemsen_US
cg.coverage.countryVietnamen_US
cg.coverage.iso3166-alpha2VNen_US
cg.coverage.regionSouth-eastern Asiaen_US
cg.creator.identifierPaul Pavelic: 0000-0003-0975-9884en_US
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.5337/2018.230en_US
cg.isbn978-92-9090-881-4en_US
cg.number183en_US
cg.placeColombo, Sri Lankaen_US
dc.contributor.authorClement, C.en_US
dc.contributor.authorVinckevleugel, Jordanen_US
dc.contributor.authorPavelic, Paulen_US
dc.contributor.authorXiong, K.en_US
dc.contributor.authorValee, L.en_US
dc.contributor.authorSotoukee, T.en_US
dc.contributor.authorShivakoti, B. R.en_US
dc.contributor.authorVongsathien, K.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2019-01-18T04:51:52Zen_US
dc.date.available2019-01-18T04:51:52Zen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/99107en_US
dc.titleCommunity-managed groundwater irrigation on the Vientiane Plain of Lao PDR: planning, implementation and findings from a pilot trialen_US
dcterms.abstractLaos has vast surface water resources. However, in areas located far away from surface water sources or those that are prone to surface water scarcity, groundwater is gaining recognition as a valuable source of water for agricultural development. Households in Ekxang village on the Vientiane Plain, for example, depend on rainfall for the cultivation of rice during the wet season and a wide range of vegetables and herbs in the dry season. Climate change poses a growing threat to crop production in such villages, altering wet season rainfall and making drought more common and severe. To help find a new way forward, a 2-year pilot study of groundwater irrigation was carried out in Ekxang to assess the technical performance, economic viability and effectiveness of the institutional arrangements. Participation in the pilot was quite modest due to farmers being wary of possible risks related to the costs of the new irrigation system. As farmers gained experience with the high-performance pumps and other equipment, their trust grew, and they came to have a sense of ownership over the system. The irrigation system turned out to be profitable for dry-season irrigation of cash crops. Growing rice under these conditions proved to be unprofitable. Increased profits, however, did not translate into increased popularity. In the pilot’s second year, with the subsidy removed, participation in the groundwater users group declined. Apart from the additional cost for pumping, another reason was a lack of household labor to manage the production of cash crops under groundwater irrigation. This, in turn, stemmed from the availability of other livelihood options (such as small businesses and wage labor), which compete with agriculture and may prove more appealing. Clearly, the future development of such systems will depend, not just on local hydrogeological conditions, but also on a better understanding of the social and economic factors that influence farmers’ decisions. New technologies could make a difference as well, such as solar pumps, which likely reduce farmers’ production costs. Lessons learned from this pilot study should prove valuable for helping realize the potential of groundwater irrigation in Laos.en_US
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Accessen_US
dcterms.available2018en_US
dcterms.bibliographicCitationClement, C.; Vinckevleugel, J.; Pavelic, Paul; Xiong, K.; Valee, L.; Sotoukee, T.; Shivakoti, B. R.; Vongsathien, K. 2018. Community-managed groundwater irrigation on the Vientiane Plain of Lao PDR: planning, implementation and findings from a pilot trial. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI).. 64p. (IWMI Working Paper 183) doi: 10.5337/2018.230en_US
dcterms.extent64p.en_US
dcterms.isPartOfIWMI Working Paperen_US
dcterms.issued2018en_US
dcterms.languageenen_US
dcterms.licenseCopyrighted; Non-commercial use onlyen_US
dcterms.publisherInternational Water Management Instituteen_US
dcterms.subjectcommunity managementen_US
dcterms.subjectcommunity involvementen_US
dcterms.subjectgroundwateren_US
dcterms.subjectplanningen_US
dcterms.subjectimplementationen_US
dcterms.subjectagricultural practicesen_US
dcterms.subjectagricultural developmenten_US
dcterms.subjectliving standardsen_US
dcterms.subjectsoil propertiesen_US
dcterms.subjectirrigation systemsen_US
dcterms.subjectirrigation wateren_US
dcterms.subjectirrigation efficiencyen_US
dcterms.subjectboreholesen_US
dcterms.subjectdrillingen_US
dcterms.subjectwater distributionen_US
dcterms.subjectwater useen_US
dcterms.subjectwater balanceen_US
dcterms.subjectwater managementen_US
dcterms.subjectwater levelsen_US
dcterms.subjectwater ratesen_US
dcterms.subjectwater user associationsen_US
dcterms.subjectinvestmenten_US
dcterms.subjectcost benefit analysisen_US
dcterms.subjectdata collectionen_US
dcterms.subjectfarmersen_US
dcterms.subjectmonitoringen_US
dcterms.subjectprofitabilityen_US
dcterms.subjectfinancingen_US
dcterms.subjectincomeen_US
dcterms.subjectcropping patternsen_US
dcterms.subjectcrop yielden_US
dcterms.subjectsocioeconomic environmenten_US
dcterms.subjectequityen_US
dcterms.subjectdry seasonen_US
dcterms.subjecthouseholdsen_US
dcterms.subjectland rightsen_US
dcterms.subjectcultivationen_US
dcterms.subjectmobilizationen_US
dcterms.typeWorking Paperen_US

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