282
determines the range of action available to the Central Asian countries and shapes
the quality and nature of their mutual relations to a large extent. Both the formal and
informal political, societal and administrative structures that exist currently can be
regarded as a result of past decisions, and the irrigations systems inherited defi ne the
options in agricultural cultivation. The transition from former Soviet structures to a
market-oriented economy has been slow, and the spirit of the past system controls
many decision-making regulations (Kreutzmann 2015 , in this volume). Irrigation
cycles and drainage systems are oriented towards the cultivation of a limited number
of crops, while political guidelines have created a parallel system of “state crops”
and “secondary crops”, offering only a limited degree of freedom to farmers.
The role of farmers in Uzbekistan – particularly with regard to informal institutions or their stake in the water users associations (WUAs) and the newly formed
water users groups (WUGs) – is a key component to understanding the complexity
of the socio-agricultural system (Moss and Hamidov 2015 , in this volume). The
WUAs, for example, are caught between two powerful state-driven institutional
regimes: agriculture and irrigation. They lack a supportive institutional environment
as well as the necessary resources and the fi nancial and personal capacities needed
to effi ciently run and maintain the present infrastructure. In order to increase their
effectiveness, it would be necessary to analyse existing funding sources for irrigation
services and to ascertain how revenues from the agro-hydrological systems could be
distributed more equally to enhance the capacities of the farmers and the WUAs. At
the same time farmers should be given more discretionary powers to enable them to
decide independently on resource use (which crops to plant, how much water to use,
when to use water, etc.) which could be achieved by increasing their participatory
power in the WUAs and WUGs (Hansjürgens 2015 , in this volume).
17.3 The Lower Jordan Basin
One of the arguments brought up in favour of the RSDS Conveyance Project is that
the project could be a vector for peace in the region. Therefore, our focus has been
on the relations between the riparian states of the Lower Jordan Basin and on the
institutional settings (legal provisions, power constellations, informal norms, etc.).
The relations between the riparian states are central for medium- and long-term
water security (Yorke 2015 , in this volume, pp. 227–251). The asymmetry of powers
and the deeply rooted mistrust between the parties involved, a result of the Israeli
occupation of the West Bank and also of institutional fragmentation within the
Palestine Territories and the Kingdom of Jordan, weakens the capacities of actors
concerned to develop comprehensive strategies for sharing management of the
water resources available (Bismuth 2015 , in this volume).
One of the intriguing aspects of the RSDS Project is that alternatives were given
serious attention, albeit belatedly. This suggests a learning process going beyond
the conventional single-project debate. But the political background and the power
asymmetries in the region impede the attainment of nonconventional, less techniC. Bismuth et al.
determines the range of action available to the Central Asian countries and shapes
the quality and nature of their mutual relations to a large extent. Both the formal and
informal political, societal and administrative structures that exist currently can be
regarded as a result of past decisions, and the irrigations systems inherited defi ne the
options in agricultural cultivation. The transition from former Soviet structures to a
market-oriented economy has been slow, and the spirit of the past system controls
many decision-making regulations (Kreutzmann 2015 , in this volume). Irrigation
cycles and drainage systems are oriented towards the cultivation of a limited number
of crops, while political guidelines have created a parallel system of “state crops”
and “secondary crops”, offering only a limited degree of freedom to farmers.
The role of farmers in Uzbekistan – particularly with regard to informal institutions or their stake in the water users associations (WUAs) and the newly formed
water users groups (WUGs) – is a key component to understanding the complexity
of the socio-agricultural system (Moss and Hamidov 2015 , in this volume). The
WUAs, for example, are caught between two powerful state-driven institutional
regimes: agriculture and irrigation. They lack a supportive institutional environment
as well as the necessary resources and the fi nancial and personal capacities needed
to effi ciently run and maintain the present infrastructure. In order to increase their
effectiveness, it would be necessary to analyse existing funding sources for irrigation
services and to ascertain how revenues from the agro-hydrological systems could be
distributed more equally to enhance the capacities of the farmers and the WUAs. At
the same time farmers should be given more discretionary powers to enable them to
decide independently on resource use (which crops to plant, how much water to use,
when to use water, etc.) which could be achieved by increasing their participatory
power in the WUAs and WUGs (Hansjürgens 2015 , in this volume).
17.3 The Lower Jordan Basin
One of the arguments brought up in favour of the RSDS Conveyance Project is that
the project could be a vector for peace in the region. Therefore, our focus has been
on the relations between the riparian states of the Lower Jordan Basin and on the
institutional settings (legal provisions, power constellations, informal norms, etc.).
The relations between the riparian states are central for medium- and long-term
water security (Yorke 2015 , in this volume, pp. 227–251). The asymmetry of powers
and the deeply rooted mistrust between the parties involved, a result of the Israeli
occupation of the West Bank and also of institutional fragmentation within the
Palestine Territories and the Kingdom of Jordan, weakens the capacities of actors
concerned to develop comprehensive strategies for sharing management of the
water resources available (Bismuth 2015 , in this volume).
One of the intriguing aspects of the RSDS Project is that alternatives were given
serious attention, albeit belatedly. This suggests a learning process going beyond
the conventional single-project debate. But the political background and the power
asymmetries in the region impede the attainment of nonconventional, less techniC. Bismuth et al.