Nusa Tenggara Barat, March 27, 2008, A decade ago, farmers had little say over irrigation and water-use management. Nowadays however, recognizing the impossible task of managing irrigation channels on its own, the Indonesian government – with the support of the World Bank – have now began to actively engage with farmers.

Farmers associations are now encouraged to unite under the Water Users Federation (Gabungan Perkumpulan Petani Pemakai Air) to strengthen their voice, and make better choices. In the province of West Nusa Tenggara, these federations have become the beneficiaries of the Water Resources and Irrigation Sector ManagementProgram (NTB-WRMP), which put farmers squarely in the driver’s seat: they determine their own priorities and work together to effectively manage their own water resources. This community-driven development program is supported by a 2006 government regulation and funding from the World Bank.

The District of East Lombok Timur in West Nusa Tenggara is home to nine Water Users Federations. One of them, the Rutus Water Users Federation demonstrates that when communities participate, both construction and betterment works can be done in less time, with less cost, and with better results.

The federation, founded in 2005, brings together farmers associations in the villages of Suradadi, Santong, Swangi and Sukarara. The membership spans across nearly 2,000 households managing over a thousand hectares of cultivated land. The Rutus Federation initially received funding to improve over 500 meters of irrigation channels. However, they managed to extend the work to 670 meters within time frames which did not interfere with cultivation period – something which is often overlooked by private contractors.

"Members meet to discuss issues related to irrigation. We make collective decisions, and that way everyone can benefit from the irrigation improvement"

“Members meet to discuss issues related to irrigation. We make collective decisions, and that way everyone can benefit from the irrigation improvement,” said Yunus Asdi, a school teacher that volunteered to lead the organization. Farmers also witness less tension between those working in upstream and downstream, and abuse of water resources is almost non existent.

Under NTB-WRMP, the Local Government said that there are also less worries with misuse of funds. A Memorandum of Understanding spells out the rights and reporting responsibilities of the Federation, and thus far there have been no issues. Mariani from the local planning board (Bappeda) indicates, “The federation makes sure that they use the best materials, and the leadership has to account for every Rupiah spent to members.”

The World Bank Indonesia Country Director, Joachim von Amsberg is impressed by the convincing design of the project. “The World Bank is interested in learning how the Bank support can be helpful to local governments, as they are the core of our country partnership strategy.”