The INPIM’s Third International Capacity Building Program (ICBP) on Participatory Irrigation Management

Program Description:

The INPIM’s Third International Capacity Building Program (ICBP) on Participatory Irrigation Management will be held in Izmir, Turkey from 21 – 30 October 2007. The ICBP is being organized by the International Network on Participatory Irrigation Management (INPIM) in collaboration with INPIM Turkey Chapter, State Hydraulic Works (DSI), Turkey and the World Bank Institute (WBI) . The 10-day course will be held at the DSI’s Gumulder Training Centre, located in South of Izmir, 40 km from Izmir Airport. The course is aimed at faculty of training institutes or consultants, WUAs managers and representatives, policy makers, system managers, and NGOs or Government/Irrigation Agency staff and those who are engaged in WUAs capacity-building and implementing PIM programs in their countries. The purpose of the course is to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of WUAs, and at the policy level to support and strengthen the implementation of national PIM programs. Besides offering the opportunity to review state-of-the-art thinking on irrigation reforms, this international CBP offers the opportunity for networking with irrigation professionals from around the world. The program includes 2 and a half day of field visits to 4 WUAs and interactions with WUAs managers, farmers, stakeholders and staff of the WUAs in Turkey.

Background:

The importance of participatory irrigation management in irrigation reforms, with the aim to make irrigation systems sustainable, is now widely recognized by governments, donor agencies and other stakeholders. While PIM as a concept and approach has been in vogue for over two decades with varying degrees of success, the fascinating and challenging debates on emerging PIM issues continue. As irrigation reforms progress, issues continue to emerge, alternative PIM models and frameworks continue to be experimented in diverse local environments, and PIM approaches continue to be evolved and refined. Importantly, as water becomes scarce and faces intense sectoral competition in most settings in the world and in times of ever than greater need to increase land and water productivity of irrigation systems to meet the additional demand for food for increasing population, there is an increasing need to better use and manage each single drop of water. And the PIM approach to irrigation management assumes greater than ever significance in such settings.

Through a combination of insightful presentations by a series of international speakers and ensuing discussions, the participants will be taken through the issues and challenges in the field and become acquainted with some of the possible options and solutions. We trust that this event will provide an excellent opportunity to participants for sharing ideas, experiences and knowledge in a high level of professional but still informal, friendly and networking atmosphere. We are confident that this event will be truly outstanding for deepening our knowledge of PIM issues and in building capacity of participants for promoting PIM reforms.

Goal:

The Capacity Building Program on Participatory Irrigation Management (CBP) seeks to improve the capacity of those working in the field of irrigation management to use participatory management methods as a part of irrigation reforms. The ICBP will enable the participants to share the diverse experiences of both the host country and other nations in the world, as well as selected cases with better practices in irrigation management. The ICBP will offer the participants the opportunity to learn about the latest developments in irrigation sector, review state-of-the-art thinking on irrigation reforms, network with irrigation professionals, and see first hand the functioning of newly established institutions, including farmer organizations and water users association.

Objectives:

1.      To learn from international experience where PIM is being promoted

2.      Focus substantively on the different dimensions of water users associations

3.      Capacity building for the sustainability of water user associations

4.      Networking among participants; learning from the experience of Turkey and learning from each other through country experiences

Language:

The course materials will be in English, and most of the formal presentations will also be in English. Translation will be provided from Turkish to English where required.

Course Venue:

The program will be held at DSI’s Gumulder Training Centre in the beautiful town of Gumulder, located in the South of Izmir, 40 Km from Izmir Airport. Gumulder is a small town with the population of 8700, located on the Aegean Sea Coast. The town is close to many famous historical places. The training centre is equipped with all facilities and has excellent accommodation arrangement for the participants.

Admission Requirements:

The course will be limited to 50 participants who would fall under three main categories: (1) WUAs representatives and managers, (2) senior government agency staff responsible for implementing PIM, and (3) faculty and staff of irrigation management training institutes or NGOs who would develop their own PIM training programs in their countries. Preference will be given to country teams of 3 persons representing a mix of both categories and who have strong practical and professional experience.

Registration Fee, Payment, and Travel:

INPIM offers a pre-arranged package including course registration fee, meals, lodging, local transportation, and field visits at US $2,500 payable to INPIM. Participants shall be responsible for their travel to Izmir and back to their countries. Participants will be issued a letter of invitation addressed to the Embassy of Turkey in their respective countries. As issuance of visa usually takes time, you are requested to ensure that you process for your visa well in advance to avoid last minute disappointments. Participants wishing to arrive before, or stay after, the above mentioned dates and times should arrange for accommodations at their own expense.

Payment of the program fee can be made through a bank/wire transfer directly to INPIM's bank account. The information required to make a wire transfer will be made available upon request by email to ihussain@inpim.org  or znaseer@inpim.org.

Participants will be registered through a two step process of registration as explained below:

1.      Pre-registration – Participants are requested to complete the pre-registration by providing basic information in the Table (given below) to express their interest in participating in the program.

Information for pre-registration

Name
 
 
Country and City
 
 
Designation, Profession/Field of Work
 
 
Email Address
 
 
Telephone/Fax
 
 
Would you like us to send you final registration forms?
 
Note: Payment of fee can be made at pre-registration stage or at final registration stage as explained below. Early registration and payment of fee offers some financial benefits to the participants.

2.      Final registration and payment of fee – upon receipt and processing of the pre-registration forms, final registration forms will be sent to the pre-registered participants as per the following schedule and benefits:

Final Registration and full fee payment by 15 August 2007, 5 percent discount

Final Registration and full fee payment by 30 August 2007, 2 percent discount

Final Registration and full fee payment by 15 September 2007, No discount

Final Registration and full fee payment by 30 September 2007, 5 percent late registration charge

Final Registration and full fee payment by 15 October 2007, 20 percent late registration charge

About INPIM 

The International Network on Participatory Irrigation Management (INPIM) is a non-profit, non-governmental, non-political international organization, with its main secretariat reloca ted from Washington DC, USA to Islamabad, Pakistan in April 2006. The Network was founded in 1994, and for its first few years, its secretariat was hosted by the Economic Development Institute (EDI, now the World Bank Institute, WBI), the training arm of the World Bank. The Network works closely with the World Bank and other development organizations, both public and private, which are active in the irrigation sector.

As a unique global network, INPIM plays a key role in promoting participatory irrigation management (PIM) and public private-sector partnerships in water resources management through sharing of knowledge, exchange of best practices and by offering well-designed capacity building programs for professionals, researchers, policy makers, planners, implementers, managers  and farmers. The Network’s mission is to make irrigation systems sustainable by supporting institutional reforms that promote greater involvement and increased capacity of farmers, water users associations, and other stakeholders. Since its creation, the Network has been instrumental in conducting training and capacity building programs on participatory irrigation management (PIM) and in organizing national and international events including conferences, seminars and workshops which bring together state-of-the art knowledge, thinking and research on issues related to PIM. The Network’s membership is composed of around 1,200 irrigation professionals: economists, engineers, agriculturists, academicians, researcher, consultants, farmers etc. from over 40 countries. In addition, the Network has National Chapters in several countries including Albania, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Japan, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Turkey and Vietnam.

Over the past decade INPIM has been successfully conducting its International Capacity Building Programs on PIM. After the successful completion of the advanced capacity building program on PIM in Bari, Italy over a period of five years (1997-2001) along with the World Bank Institute and the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute, INPIM initiated the second phase of its Capacity Building Programs in Izmir, Turkey. The First program of this series was successfully conducted in December 2004 in Izmir, Turkey, with participants from fifteen countries across various continents. The Second International Capacity Building Program on PIM of this series was successfully conducted in Izmir, Turkey in June 2006.