Case studies were conducted in five selected Asian countries on their water policy reform initiatives. Of the five countries, China stands out as the country that has derived the most from on-going global efforts in promoting water sector institutional reforms and the concept of integrated water resources management (IWRM). China has emerged as the leader in adapting these concepts to suit the context of the country. Advanced stages of water development in many parts of the country and increased water shortages due to rapid economic development have prompted China to forge ahead in the search for institutional solutions to make the water sector more productive, and the management of water resources more sustainable. In the other selected countries, efforts to replicate the models of developed countries without much adaptation and due reference to their stages of development have generally failed. The dominance of irrigation within the water sector and the informality of the economy related to water in these countries seem to make the application of prescribed IWRM principles rather unfeasible. The lesson to be drawn from policy reviews of the five countries is that effective waterinstitutions are not static systems, but are adaptive and dynamic institutional developments compatible with the local context, particularly with the structure of the overall economy of the country and its water sector.

This book summarizes three years of extensive research conducted in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Vietnam as part of the CECAR – Asia project, which was intended to enhance resilience to climate and ecosystem changes by developing mosaic systems to strengthen resilience of bio-production systems through the integration of large-scale modern agriculture systems with traditional, decentralized small-scale systems. The book starts with climate downscaling and impact assessment in rural Asia, and then explores various adaptation options and measures by utilizing modern science and traditional knowledge including home garden systems and ancient irrigation systems. The book subsequently examines the influence of climatic and ecological changes and the vulnerability of social economies from quantitative and qualitative standpoints, applying econometric and statistical models in agriculture communities of Asia to do so. The main goal of all chapters and case studies presented here is to identify the merits of applying organic methods to both commercial large-scale production and traditional production to strengthen social resilience and promote sustainable development. Especially at a time when modern agriculture systems are highly optimized but run the risk of failure due to changes in the climate and ecosystem, this book offers viable approaches to developing an integrated framework of modern and traditional systems to enhance productivity and total system resilience, as illustrated in various case studies.

The core of this study involved an examination and analysis of certain key features of the traditional small tank cascade systems: a) the location and design of the systems in the past b) the hydro-system which considers the overall hydrological balance and groundwater conditions c) maintenance and tank use d) tank management and integration with local farming systems.

Researchers have studied various aspects of the ancient civilization of Sri Lanka and probed deeply into the subject of village tank clusters (tank cascade systems) during the last 4 decades. A wealth of information was gathered and the knowledge of many components has been updated. This book brings you this updated information. The author brings new definitions of tank cascade systems and cascade ecology. The book begins with the historical perspective and moves on to explain various aspects, step by step, such as geography, geology and geomorphology, soil and climate, surface and groundwater, traditional agriculture and water management, flora and fauna, recent studies and the restoration of cascade ecology. The book will interest geomorphologists, geologists, geographers, archaeologists, ecologists, and historians. Specifically, university lecturers, students and researchers will find interest in these pages and may utilize the content to prepare their study materials.

Social Designs is based on a central argument that tank irrigation technology is shaped as a result of power relations in a particular historical, agrarian and social context. This technology as a matter of fact institutionalises a particular pattern of resource utilisation that favours only some users, and discriminates against others. This book proposes that technological designs are socially shaped, and that through the means of technological designs society orders itself. By means of shaping and reproducing technology, a certain form of social organisation or social arrangement is also reproduced.