Collective Responsibility in Construction and Management of Irrigation Canals Case of Italy

Italy's consorzi di bonifica involve farmers closely in the design and construction stage as well as in operation and maintenance of irrigation canals. A discussion of how they work can contribute to an informed debate,on what direction the reform of irrigation institutions in India should take. Even if the problems raised by the larger scale of canal projects in India make the form less transferable in toto, it is certainly relevant to the administration of public tubewell projects, with their smaller command area.