Divergence between the theoretical framework of the project’s intervention and the observed reality: The case of Phuoc Hoa project

Abstract

The article describes and analyzes local water management methods applied in two irrigated areas of Phuoc Hoa irrigation project in the Dong Nai - Saigon river basin. This project was co-financed by the government of Vietnam, the French Development Agency and the Asian Development Bank. These two irrigated areas were designed with the same approach: applying a model of Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) to enhance the capacity of water users and put them at the center of the model of water resource management. Research results showed that, in reality, the process of preparing and establishing collective management organizations for water resources was replicated and applied in a top-down model, which was contrary to the spirit and purpose of the PIM method. This divergence was found to be the result of various external constraints imposed by the project (the ideal type, incompatibility between “project time” and “farmer time”) and the top-down technocratic management in the irrigation sector, which has existed since the period of subsidised planning in Vietnam.