Commons Identity Crisis, Can it be Resolved? Empirical Analysis of the Success Factors of Water User Associations Establishment in Jordan Valley

Abstract

"Jordan is classified to be one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, The main challenges facing the agricultural sector in Jordan are water availability and water quality. The social, economic and geopolitical context of the Jordanian community impacts the process of managing common-pool resources in general, and in managing irrigation water distribution in Jordan Valley (JV) in particular. JV is the primary agricultural hub and region of the country; this position has encountered challenges over time due to increased water resource constraints and degradation which hugely affected the agricultural sector in the region. Water User Associations (WUA) were created in the early 2000s as a response to encountered risks and challenges by natural and socio-economic factors in the region, The roles of distributing irrigation water to agricultural units, maintenance of water networks and representation of farmers in JV were given to WUAs’ by Jordan Valley Authority. The agreed-upon tasks to be assigned to the WUAs' are deemed insufficient according to members of the WUAs’. With the rising risks of climate change and social factors, a temporal institutional analysis of the WUAs' role in JV irrigation water distribution is done by developing a future-oriented modified version of the IAD framework, which highlights the role of informal institutions in institutional change."