GENDER ISSUES IN WATER USER ASSOCIATIONS IN CHINA: A CASE STUDY IN GANSU PROVINCE

The World Bank imported the concept of Water User Association (WUA) to China in 1994, promoting participatory irrigation management in China to address the increasing scarcity of water resources. The purpose was to involve rural communities in water use and management in a more equitable, fair, effective and sustainable way. This has led to the widespread transfer of irrigation management responsibility from the state to the villages and local water groups; Water User Associations have been set up in many places as autonomous organizations through which villagers manage water. As of the end of 2006, 30,000 Water User Associations had been established in China. Women in rural areas have increasing responsibilities both in agriculture and domestic water use because men are migrating for work. Case studies for several villages in Gansu Province show that women's participation in the new Water User Associations is minimal. The implications of this gender difference for effective and equitable water management have been largely ignored. The main objective of the study is to examine gender issues in water management and WUA and to recommend changes of attitude and behaviour. Gender-sensitive policies are required to achieve more effective, efficient and equitable water resources management.