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Water, Rules and Gender: Water Rights in an Indigenous Irrigation System, Marakwet, Kenya

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  • William Adams
  • Elizabeth Watson
  • Samuel Mutiso

Abstract

The management of indigenous irrigation systems has received increasing attention both from social science researchers and from those development agents who seek to change them, or to find in them a model for organizing newly developed irrigation schemes. This article discusses how water is allocated within one such irrigation system, the hill furrow irrigation of the Marakwet escarpment in Kenya. It describes the ‘formal rules’ of water rights, giving particular attention to the issue of gender with respect to water rights. It then discusses the ‘working rules’ relevant to water allocation, involving various informal practices of sharing, buying and stealing. The implications of this complexity for understanding the operation of indigenous farmer‐managed irrigation systems are examined.

Suggested Citation

  • William Adams & Elizabeth Watson & Samuel Mutiso, 1997. "Water, Rules and Gender: Water Rights in an Indigenous Irrigation System, Marakwet, Kenya," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 28(4), pages 707-730, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:devchg:v:28:y:1997:i:4:p:707-730
    DOI: 10.1111/1467-7660.00061
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    Cited by:

    1. Emmanuel M. Akpabio, 2006. "Notions of environment and environmental management in Akwa Ibom State, Southeastern Nigeria," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 26(4), pages 227-236, December.
    2. Hannah, Corrie & Giroux, Stacey & Krell, Natasha & Lopus, Sara & McCann, Laura E. & Zimmer, Andrew & Caylor, Kelly K. & Evans, Tom P., 2021. "Has the vision of a gender quota rule been realized for community-based water management committees in Kenya?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    3. Benjamin T. Wood & Andrew J. Dougill & Lindsay C. Stringer & Claire H. Quinn, 2018. "Implementing Climate-Compatible Development in the Context of Power: Lessons for Encouraging Procedural Justice through Community-Based Projects," Resources, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-23, May.
    4. Barbara van Koppen, 1998. "Water rights, gender, and poverty alleviation. Inclusion and exclusion of women and men smallholders in public irrigation infrastructure development," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 15(4), pages 361-374, December.
    5. Ferguson, A. & Mulwafu, W., 2007. "If government failed, how are we to succeed?: the importance of history and context in present-day irrigation reform in Malawi," IWMI Books, Reports H040696, International Water Management Institute.
    6. Shrestha, Gitta & Clement, Floriane, 2019. "Unravelling gendered practices in the public water sector in Nepal," Papers published in Journals (Open Access), International Water Management Institute, pages 21(5):1017-.
    7. Caretta, Martina Angela, 2015. "Managing variability and scarcity. An analysis of Engaruka: A Maasai smallholder irrigation farming community," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 318-330.
    8. Kienzler, Kirsten M. & Djanibekov, Nodir & Lamers, John P.A., 2011. "An agronomic, economic and behavioral analysis of N application to cotton and wheat in post-Soviet Uzbekistan," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 104(5), pages 411-418, June.
    9. Frances Cleaver, 1998. "Choice, complexity, and change: Gendered livelihoods and the management of water," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 15(4), pages 293-299, December.
    10. Mosse, David, 2006. "Collective Action, Common Property, and Social Capital in South India: An Anthropological Commentary," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 54(3), pages 695-724, April.
    11. Descheemaeker, K. & Bunting, S. W. & Bindraban, P. & Muthuri, C. & Molden, D. & Beveridge, M. & van Brakel, Martin & Herrero, M. & Clement, Floriane & Boelee, Eline & Jarvis, D. I., 2013. "Increasing water productivity in Agriculture," Book Chapters,, International Water Management Institute.
    12. Kassie, Menale & Ndiritu, Simon Wagura & Stage, Jesper, 2014. "What Determines Gender Inequality in Household Food Security in Kenya? Application of Exogenous Switching Treatment Regression," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 153-171.
    13. Juliana Cheboi & Henry Greathead & Thobela Nkukwana & Marshall Keyster, 2023. "Farmers’ Knowledge, Perceptions and Attitudes on Crop-Dairy Goat Integration Farming System in Elgeyo Marakwet County," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-15, December.
    14. Frances Cleaver, 1999. "Paradoxes of participation: questioning participatory approaches to development," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 11(4), pages 597-612.
    15. van Koppen, Barbara & Hussain, Intizar, 2004. "Irrigation, gender and poverty: overview of issues and options," Conference Papers h036137, International Water Management Institute.

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