Institutional Failures in the Management and Transfer of Irrigation Works in Guanajuato, México

2. Department of Economics, Metropolitan Autonomous University-Iztapalapa, México

Abstract: This work discusses institutional arrangements in water management to address the challenges represented by Mexico’s Irrigation District Management Transfer policy. When more than two decades have elapsed since the implementation of this policy, it is interesting to reflect its limits and scopes, and in general, on the problems that agricultural users have faced, paying particular attention to the physical state of irrigation works that were transferred to them for operation and conservation. The field study focuses on two important modules of the 011 Irrigation District, Alto Río Lerma, Guanajuato: Valle de Santiago and Cortázar. A qualitative methodology is used to gather information from those involved in the transfer process. It is shown that institutional failures that occurred before and during the transfer process of irrigation districts have affected users from reaching the expected organizational structures, in accordance with the transfer policy, and in this way, nor has one of its main goals been achieved: the improvement of the conservation status of the works.