The Evolution of Taiwanese Irrigation: Implications for the Future

In the 1960s and 1970s, Taiwan's irrigation sector was organized with effective Irrigation Associations characterized by user control, with user payment for operation and maintenance and for a substantial portion of system improvement. At the present time user participation has declined substantially, there is no user fee, and the government exercises much greater control. This study suggests that, as Taiwan developed, the widening differential between rural and urban incomes, the small contribution of agriculture to gross domestic product, and the smaller fraction of labour force in agriculture provided the conditions for the decline in user participation.