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When water is from God: formation of property rights governing communal irrigation furrows in Meru, Tanzania, c. 1890-2011

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Author

Summary, in English

In Meru, Tanzania local initiatives were instrumental in establishing a gravity irrigation system in the 1890s. The original property rights institutions governing furrows were characterised by de facto communal ownership and management combined with private temporary user rights. Over the last 12 decades farming systems in Meru have experienced changing land/labour ratios, overall technological and institutional change as well as increased demand for irrigation water. The furrow system has been extended and due to general agricultural intensification access to water has become an important pre-condition for production in the current local system of agricultural production. However, it is argued that in the midst of drastic overall change in the area, irrigation furrows have experienced no significant change in either technology or property rights institutions. It is found that institutional continuity is explained by the natural characteristics of water, property rights embeddedness in socio-economic structures, and challenges of managing it as a common-pool resource.

Publishing year

2012

Language

English

Pages

423-443

Publication/Series

Journal of Eastern African Studies

Volume

6

Issue

3

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Topic

  • Economic History

Keywords

  • property rights
  • irrigation furrows
  • agricultural intensification
  • Tanzania

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1753-1055