The Evolution of Self-Governance in Korean Irrigation System: With Reference to the Farmers' Self-Governing Model District Program

Abstract

"In 2001, KARICO launched the 1st Farmers’ Self-governing Model District Program (FSMDP). It is a kind of participatory irrigation management (PIM) through the new institutional arrangements. The paper evaluates the performance of the FSMDP based on the IAD framework. To do this, three research questions can be broadly raised: 1) what kinds of factors are needed for the sustainable self-governing irrigation systems? 2) how is the 1st Korean FSMDP designed for sustainable self-governing irrigation systems? 3) What is the performance or outcome of 62 Korean irrigation systems under the FSMDP? To answer these queries, research method and data collection were conducted by KORIS DB, farmers’ perception survey, and KARICO data. First of all, the 1st FSMDP has been designed with profound sustainable self-governing factors. In terms of physical, community, and institutional attributes, 18 variables are identified for the sustainable governing irrigation systems. Second, reflecting on the propositions and three attributes in the IAD framework, most of 62 irrigation systems satisfy positively the propositions (4 propositions in physical attributes, 6 propositions in community attributes, 8 propositions in institutional arrangements). In other words, three attributes (physical, community, institutional) for sustainable self-governing systems affect very positively the performance or outcomes of 62 irrigation systems under the 1st FSMDP. Also, design principles for sustainable resource are identified in the FSMDP, which produce the positive performance and outcomes of irrigation systems under the FSMDP. Finally, most of irrigation systems under the 1st FSMDP are being operated with de jure and de facto rules under greater sustainable self-governance. These results come from the indigenous and traditional cooperation of KARIO officials and farmers before the KARICO reform. Also, such outcomes are due to the traditional experience of organizing farmers’ self- organization. The limitation of this study does not provide the in-depth discussion of specific biophysical (i.e., regions of Korea, the impact of being hilly or not hilly) and community attributes of district irrigation systems beyond the table, which will be conducted in the future research."