In Afghanistan, 80-90% of agricultural production currently comes from irrigated plots. In the last 25 years, war, population displacement and the instability of the post-taliban period have had serious consequences for the irrigation systems. Demand for water has grown enormously since the irrigation systems were designed. The Amour Daria basin near Kunduz is one of the most fertile areas in Afghanistan. What was once referred to as ‘the granary of Afghanistan’ still produces the best wheat in the country and some market garden produce.

The PMIS project, principally funded by the European Union, is a three-year research-action project (2005-08) run by the Agha Khan Foundation (AKF) for Afghanistan and Groupe URD. Groupe URD is in charge of research into agrarian systems and participative management of water in 4 canals in Baghlan and Takhar provinces. Our partner, AKF, is responsible for the second phase which involves social mobilisation based on the research results.

The primary objective of the PMIS is to help reduce poverty by improving food security. It aims to increase knowledge about water management practices in the field, to increase the involvement and organisation of farmers in the system and to increase the ability of the Afghan authorities to provide equitable and efficient distribution, management and use of water. This will help to improve water users’ social and technical management of irrigation networks, and ensure that the poorest are not excluded from the system.

Work has been in progress on four canal networks since October 2005: the Zargar and Nahr-e-Said canals in Takhar province, and the Jangharoq and Qelagai canals in Baghlan province.

There are three parts to the project :
- The first year of research (studying structure of networks, how water management is organised socially at the community level, the history and present situation of current agrarian systems etc.);
- The second year of social mobilisation (creation and formalising of water user groups so that users become involved in the new national system for organising water management at the drainage basin level) ;
- The final year when the social mobilisation phase will be completed in parallel with the communication of project results to the Afghan authorities in charge of water management via intensive interaction between user communities, the project team and officials from the relevant government departments.

During the first year, Groupe URD conducted research into power relations, technical difficulties and agrarian systems in order to identify the best way to engage in social mobilisation with user groups without becoming involved in conflicts, so that a sustainable and participative water management system could be set up

The research looked at the layout of the irrigation networks, their physical state and the hydraulics involved. Critical points and technical difficulties were pinpointed. This helped the research team to find out about past and present forms of social organisation linked to the irrigation networks. It also helped us to understand the strategic importance of the networks and the essential role of the ‘mirab’, a kind of water steward. The research also looked into the agricultural history of the region, as well as socio-economic and agricultural dynamics and their relation to water resources.

The second year of the project is principally concerned with the mobilisation of water user communities to establish more efficient and formal organisation.
The aim here is to progressively draw up and formalise common rules for managing water on three canals. The main objective is to play the role of mediator, to act as a catalyst and help formalise working practices defined by the communities.

First, water users identified the main problems they face, what the communities’ needs are in terms of water management, and who should be involved in order to get results. Then, more complex problems were confronted such as the election of ‘mirabs’ (water stewards), and how conflicts between users should be resolved. At the same time, it is important to prepare the third part of the project, the social mobilisation to build links and deal with issues which concern both user groups and administrative departments for Agriculture and Irrigation.

Groupe URD will be responsible for transforming the first year’s research findings into a course of action for the social mobilisation. Another role will be to analyse and share information (notably with central government) about the progress being made in terms of user organisation and the need for regulation to be actively involved in the construction of a legal and regulatory framework at local and national levels.

At the same time, the AKF team specialised in Natural resources management (NRM) will conduct tests and experiments on plots to give examples of other crops which could be grown, thus giving farmers the possibility to diversify or to find other technical solutions (for rice, for example).

During the course of the year one of the canals which had been initially included in the project was changed at the request of the restoration programme which oversees the PMIS and replaced by a bigger canal which is more difficult to deal with in terms of mobilisation and on which the restoration work is more extensive.

2007 will also see further research into the urbanisation of irrigated plains in order to take into account the growing diversity of uses for water in such contexts. It has become apparent during the research that it is very important to understand this kind of urbanisation which is likely to have an impact on water management in the medium term.

Another complementary piece of research also began in 2007 in collaboration with two AKF teams, the ‘gender’ team and the NSP team. It is a study of how women gain access to water, how they use it, and how they manage it. It will also study how women’s activities are impacted by the way canals are managed by men and any improvements that could be made.

For Groupe URD, taking part in a development project by carrying out the initial research, analysing and sharing its findings and then using these to propose a course of action will guarantee the project’s quality. It will also provide insight into the transition from the research phase to the implementation of a project.