Exclusions in the Cambodian irrigation sector: perspectives from Battambang province

TitleExclusions in the Cambodian irrigation sector: perspectives from Battambang province
Annotated RecordAnnotated
Year of Publication2022
AuthorsDiepart J-C, Thuon T
Secondary TitleCahiers Agricultures
Volume31
Pagination1-8
Key themesAgriculturalModernization, Distribution
Abstract

This article offers a case study in Battambang province that examines agrarian and land dynamics in an irrigated command area. Building on the 'powers of exclusiona' framework developed by Hall, Hirsch and Li, we show how irrigation reshapes socio-spatial configurations locally and reinforces the dynamics of social differentiation between smallholder farmers. We argue that the uneven geography of water and the transformation of land ownership structures to which the irrigation project in question contributes run in the opposite direction of a pathway that would support the development of inclusive pro-smallholder irrigation.
URLhttps://doi.org/10.1051/cagri/2022016
Availability

Available for download
Countries

Cambodia
Document Type

Journal Article

Annotations

Overall relevance: 

This article examines the little studied connections between water, land tenure and agrarian change at the level of irrigation systems. Based on the case study of the Kanghot irrigation scheme in Battambang province, Northwest Cambodia, the paper examines how the insertion of irrigation in the agricultural landscape reshapes socio-spatial configurations in ways that reinforce or introduce new forms of exclusion. The highly unequal distribution of water and benefits from irrigation both shapes and is shaped by preexisting patterns of social differentiation already at work in the landscape. These patterns are linked to the effects of increased commercialization of export-destined rice production, including high levels of indebtedness among farmers who are forced to assume all risks of production, and market-driven processes of land accumulation and land loss within the village and beyond. The introduction of irrigation that shapes and limits access to water and the ability to engage in agricultural intensification, has served to reinforce patters of social differentiation through the control over water. These findings highlight the need for a better understanding of agrarian and resource tenure dynamics in the design of irrigation projects if they are to support more equitable outcomes for smallholder farmers.

Key Themes: 
  • Agricultural modernisation: key ideas and debates relevant to land tenure security - The development of irrigation to increase rice production for export and as a poverty reduction strategy is central to the agrarian modernization project of the Cambodian government. As the case study in this paper illustrates, however, this new logic of production comes at a huge cost to smallholder farmers. Irrigation reinforces the commoditization of all aspects of production and the commercialization of its outputs. Farmers assume all risks and costs which increases their economic vulnerability. Many end up incurring large debts and have had to sell part or all of their agricultural land and turn to job migration. As farmers are not equally equipped to navigate transformations at play in the new irrigated landscape, rapid social differentiation among smallholder farmers ensues. Beyond land accumulation within a village, the authors observe the emergence of a “neo-feudal agrarian structure” wherein farmers who lose land become tenants of a new class of urban landlords. This runs contrary to efforts seeking to support smallholder farmers through the provision of irrigation.
  • Land distribution: concentration/dispersion, landlessness - The study finds that the benefits of irrigation development are unequally distributed. The physical infrastructure is not uniformly operational across the command area, which contribute to shaping an uneven geography of water. Water management is further challenged by the exercise of power and the use of force by influential and well-connected individuals engaged in agricultural businesses within and beyond the command area. Uneven distribution of water also influences how the commodification and financialization of land play out across the command area. The case study points to growing inequality in the land ownership structure as a result of changes in relations of production brought about by the commercialization of rice production. Indebtedness, climate hazards and an unreliable supply of water, exacerbates the risks and economic mobility of farmers via land purchases and sales. This is the main mechanism underlying the current social differentiation processes and the reason why the ability of farmers to benefit from irrigation is so unequally distributed.
Research basis: 

This article is based on qualitative fieldwork conducted in two villages which are part of the Kanghot irrigation system, located about 15 km south of Battambang city, north-west Cambodia. Interviews were conducted over two weeks in August 2021 with representatives of the provincial administration and the ministry of water resources and meteorology, village level authorities, water user associations and villagers. Findings were validated through a workshop and discussions with two researchers involved in the same study sites. The study builds on the “powers of exclusion” framework developed by Hall, Hirsch and Li (2011). (Provided by Do Thu Hang and Chhit Muny)