Engineering Participation

This book is a multidisciplinary study of local participation in irrigation management. It investigates the technological, environmental and administrative aspects of an intervention programme in the Terai region of Nepal which sought to place greater management functions in the hands of the users. The study shows that in order to build up legitimacy and power, local organizations need to consider action beyond the local level. Externally, project support requires understanding of the system’s environment, and must encourage technological change that takes into consideration the future requirements of the users.