The government of Uganda contracted Altus Consult Ltd (ACL) to implement a consultancy assignment for implementation support for sustainable farmer based Institutional management of Olweny Irrigation Scheme in Lira District.
The overall objective of the consultancy was to support the Ministry of Water and Environment to establish/ revitalize the institutional structures and systems available at the Olweny irrigation scheme (the scheme), Lira District and support the implementation of the proposed institutional structures through participatory farmer based organizations in order to foster commercially viable irrigation services for sustainable management and regulation of the Olweny irrigation scheme.
The Consultancy was very successful and resulted into a number of achievements including;
- Development of the Farmer Based Management model
- Revitalization of the Farmer Based Management institutions these included the Irrigation Water User Association (IWUA), Cooperative Society, Water User Committees (WUCs) Farmer field schools
- Establishment of the Inter Sector Technical Support Team (ITST) to enhance coordination and supervision of the irrigation scheme
- Enhancement of Capacity of the Cooperative and IWUA leaders
- Development of Operational Manuals to guide the FBMOS in management of the scheme, these included; business planning, financial management, procurement management and human resources management manuals.
- Development of Legal frameworks to guide relationships/interaction of different actors
- Mid-set change among farmers and leaders on the need to pay user fees and undertake agricultural production as a business
In undertaking this assignment, we ensured a consultative approach by engaging key stake holders notably the Ministry of Water and Enviroment, Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries, the Lira District Technical team, the farmers/ and water users within the scheme.
The assignment was delivered by a team of over 20 highly experienced Consultants and these included Sociologists, lawyers, Irrigation engineers, ICT specialists, Finance management specialists and Organisation Development specialists.