1. Water for Agriculture Program of Oxfam In Ethiopia
Tibebu Koji , water program coordinator
Presented on : Gender and Irrigation technical workshop
9-10 March 2016 , Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

2. Title of the Presentation
Existing Practices and Challenges on Joint Spouse Membership in Irrigation Water User Cooperatives/ Association

3. Background & Rationale
Opportunities
Ethiopia has
12 river basin
annual runoff volume of 122 billion m3 of water
An estimated billion m3 of ground water
3.7 m ha of gross irrigation potential
favorable climate for diverse crops
abundant labor force
Challenges
Ethiopia faces
recurrent drought and famine
high dependency on rainfed farming
only 5% of irrigable land used
lack of know-how on efficient harnessing river, rain and underground water
lack of extension provisions, scares financial resource, poor implementation of policies and regulations on access and water use rights
FDRE GTP1: increase area under irrigation from the current ca. 600,000 ha to 1.8 m ha (three fold increase)

4. Geographic and program Focus
Kola Temben, Tigray
Raya / Almata,
Tigray
Tahatay Mucho, Tigray
Central Rift Valley, Oromia
The Program focuses in three Regional States (Tigray, Amhara and Oromia) where 80-90% of drought-prone areas are located. Locations with arrows show project districts where one or more projects have been implemented.
Borena area, Oromia

5. Program focus and Rational
The focus of the water for agriculture program is on water for productive use ( crop production and livestock )

6. Primary change agents
The primary change agents for the program are vulnerable rural smallholder agriculturalists and pastoralists in moisture-stressed areas of Tigray, Amhara and Oromiya national regional states in Ethiopia by giving major emphasis to women, girls ,and women-headed households.

7. Program Goal and Objective
By 2020 vulnerable rural communities in moisture-stressed areas of Tigray, Amhara & Oromia Regional States in Ethiopia, will equitably access, sustainably use and manage water resources for production.
That is : to benefit smallholders (particularly women) achieve greater equitable access to, and sustainable use and management of, water resources to enhance their productivity.

8. Three Strategic Objective
Smallholder agriculturalists & pastoralists in moisture stressed intervention areas
will exercise their right to equitably access water for production (and consumption) in the face of increased competition.
will effectively use and sustainably manage water resources for increased production and productivity
women will have equal opportunities in the use and management of water resources
By 2020
PROGRAM GOAL:
By 2020 vulnerable rural communities in moisture-stressed areas of Tigray, Amhara & Oromia Regional States in Ethiopia, will equitably access, sustainably use and manage water resources for production. This will improve their food security and strengthen their rural livelihood.

9. Strategies Capacity building Co-investment
Gender main streaming : Particular attention to women’s needs
Policy, legislation & resource leveraging
Capacity building
Increased
productivity
through
equitable access to water
The main program strategy is to promote co-investment as the basis for developing a new social contract between governments and communities that can foster smallholder entrepreneurship. This implies equal engagement and commitment of farmers, government officials, and donors in the hardware and software development of productive water systems in ways that match and strengthen farmers’ capabilities to manage these schemes and help realize their productive water rights. The creation of real ownership over real assets is linked from the beginning with the investment strategy and then further linked to maintenance responsibilities.
Good example of co investment
Co investment among local partner , the community and OA
Grant Title: Development of small-scale irrigation and promotion of high value
horticultural crops in Sehart Wereda of the Tigray region
Project Start Date: June 1, 2009 Project End Date: May 31, 2010
Grant Number: ETH 504 /09
Grant amount:  $124,333.70( OA)
The total project cost is $179, REST covers $44, from its source and the community agreed to cover $11, of the project cost by contributing resources such as labor and locally available construction materials. The amount requested from Oxfam America is $124,
2. Co investment among partner , community , government and OA
Grant Number : ETH 008/08 
The total project cost is $ 415, The partner is , OPaDC (Oromia Pastoral Area Development Commission/Pastoral Community Development Project (OPaDC/PCDP) covers $ 133, from its 2008 budget and the community agreed to cover 10% ($ 41,526.00) of the project cost by contributing resources such as labor and local construction materials. The amount requested from Oxfam America is $ 239, of which $ 150, and $ 88, is for FY 2008 and FY 2009, respectively.

10. Components of Program interventions
Develop and pilot different types of irrigation technologies/ infrastructure (enhance SH access to irrigation water and land)
Enhance capacity of SH farmers, women and local government staff – awareness creation on policies, improved water use and mgt , agronomic and post-harvest practices, etc.
Establish and strengthen community institutions (WUAs) to sustainably use and manage water resources
Support natural resource management around irrigation infrastructure
Promote women access to productive resources and their participation in leadership and decision making
Support SH farmers link to market, financial and research services

11. Title
Existing Practices and Challenges on Joint Spouse Membership in Irrigation Water User Cooperatives/Association

12. Main objective of the assessment
The main objective of this assessment is to identify existing policy provisions, practices and implementation challenges faced by small-scale irrigation users/smallholder farmers cooperative with regarding to joint spouse membership in the face of social and legal constraints and to point out issues for policy engagement and propose alternative approaches that promote the participation of both men and women in accessing productive asset including water resource

13. Over view
Ethiopia’s constitution provides equal share of and say over strategic resources within the household
Women have equal rights to access productive assets such as land (FDRE 1994, Article 35/7)

14. challenge: Absence of joint spouse membership in irrigation water users associations
Membership of cooperatives around agricultural water systems is based on land registration/owner ship
As primary members, only the registered one have direct access to all services provided by the cooperatives and WUAs

15. Challenge …cnt Mostly land is ownership is by men
Even if the land certification reduced this problem , no practice of registering spouse on the same plot of land  as IWUA members

16. Challenge ….cnt
Giving power to more men to vote and choose leaders of the water users associations (WAUs) and cooperative committees, and to serve as executive leaders and board members.
Less women candidate for the WUA leadership position

17. Challenge …cnt
Less women access to services like extension , attend meeting , technology , skill
Only women of female-headed households can be direct members, elected to leadership positions, and have direct access to the provided services
In actual case women are the one works on irrigation fields

18. The consequence
This prohibited the household, particularly the woman, from getting the associated privileges to be a member of WUA like training opportunities, the right to elect or be elected (participation in decision making process in the association).
women’s current status vis-à-vis membership in IWUA does not only deny them of the above strategic advantages, but also access to basic skills and technological inputs.

19. Conclusion
Only through recognition of their active membership and leadership can they gain influence in the governance structure of the water users associations and cooperatives and defend their strategic interests.

20. Recommendation
Using the opportunities available in the IWUA proclamation, experiment different forms of spouse membership alternatives in different socio- cultural environments. Work with IWUA to include bylaw articles and IWUA administration rules enforcing equal access to benefits by both marriage partners.

21. Selas, 45 and the mother of six, is successfully supporting her family through the innovative new approach of Adi-Ha gravity irrgation . Oxfam is supporting the project through REST for over ten years. Silas was able to diversify her crop production by irrigating her farmland year round growing fruits and vegetables. She is a remarkable example of how empowered community and genuine partnership bring about sustainable change. Once fighting to ward off hunger, Selas is now producing enough not only to feed her family but also to invest for the future.