The focus is on HOW and WHY research and policies are framed rather than on WHAT they entail 3 main research questions: Why do particular policy and intervention models related to agricultural water management emerge, persist and change? Whose knowledge is included in the policy process and how? What are the politics of research and policy making in the agricultural water management sector in the Volta Basin? Is CPWF doing something different and how?

1. V5: Coordination and Change Project
Framing institutions and policies as processes
CPWF Volta Science Week
Ouagadougou
3-5 July 2012
Jean-Philippe Venot, IWMI

2. Objective and Approach
The focus is on HOW and WHY research and policies are framed rather
than on WHAT they entail
3 main research questions:
• Why do particular policy and intervention models related to
agricultural water management emerge, persist and change?
• Whose knowledge is included in the policy process and how?
• What are the politics of research and policy making in the
agricultural water management sector in the Volta Basin?
Is CPWF doing something different and how?

3. Different steps
Diagnosis
Characterization
Analysis
Defining “boundaries”
Ideology and Discourse
National priorities/strategies
Actor’s identification
Roles/responsibilities
Actors’ network
Characterize relationships
Explicit Worldviews
Legitimacy/accountability
Research Trajectory

4. Where are we: topic of study
Diagnosis
Defining “boundaries”
• SWC (V2)
• Small reservoirs (V3)
• IWRM (V4)

5. Where are we: Discourses
Diagnosis
Defining “boundaries”
Ideology and Discourse
Discourses are important because they contribute to
establishing what is ‘true’ and what ‘should’ happen.
Little change since the 1970s
CPWF appropriate the same
Demography
High population growth
High poverty rate, especially in rural areas
Growing demand for food
Climate/Water
Rainfall unreliability + extreme events (droughts/floods)
Available but little developed water resources
Agricultural system
Importance and low productivity of rainfed agricultural systems
Vulnerability to limited water stress
Low yield and technical potential for improvement
Environment
Soil erosion and degradation/low soil fertility
Resilience and adaptation
Socio-economic context
Economic importance of agricultural sector
Securing land tenure
Efficiency

6. Where are we: priorities/strategies
Diagnosis
Defining “boundaries”
Ideology and Discourse
National priorities/strategies
Early wins/best bets versus diffuse results
• Infrastructure investment in drinking water and sanitation
• Productive agricultural investments
• “Growth pole” (i.e. Bagre in Burkina Faso)
• Large public irrigation systems
• Modernization/export-crops (pineapple, cocoa, etc.)
• Inter-sectoral linkages in Burkina Faso (with the PNSR)
• Small scale agricultural water management
• BF: On the public agenda but ‘constraints’ on individuals
• GH: Not really on the agenda but less constraint on the individuals

7. Different steps: IWRM Actors (BF)
Roles/responsibilities
Administration
Regional representative
‘District’ representative
‘Users’ representative
National
Actor’s identification
River basin
Characterization
BURKINA FASO
Consultative role
Central role of the DGRE in
facilitating the group
Planning role
Central role of the NT in
facilitating the group
Traditional authorities
CLE
Civil society
Not active
Research and education
• What roles for these actors in SWC/Small reservoirs?
• Which other actors in SWC/Small reservoirs?

8. Different steps: IWRM Actors (GH)
Roles/responsibilities
Woman representative
Administration
Regional representative
‘District’ representative
‘Users’ representative
National
Actor’s identification
Planning role
Central role of administration
Absence of MoFA
River basin
Characterization
GHANA
Planning role
Central role of the basin officer
Civil society
Traditional authorities
Research and education
• What roles for these actors in SWC/Small reservoirs?
• Which other actors in SWC/Small reservoirs?

9. Different steps: IWRM Actors (BF)
Characterization
Actor’s identification
Roles/responsibilities
Legitimacy/accountability
How do people come into assuming responsabilities?
• In Burkina Faso, strong involvement of private consultants (former civil
servants) in policy framing (consultance)
• Multi-level interactions follow sectoral hierarchical lines
• Lack of linkage between ‘water-institutions’ and agricultural socioprofessional groups
• Challenges faced in terms of participation and representativity of users

10. Why small reservoirs continue to exist
Discourse coalition
Interpretative community