Community Water Governance on Mount Kenya: An Assessment Based on Ostrom’s Design Principles of Natural Resource Management

Dell’Angelo, Jampel; McCord, Paul; Gower, D.; Carpenter, Stefan; Caylor, K. K.

doi:10.1659/mrd-journal-d-15-00040.1

Cited by 50 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…The CWPs of the Upper Ewaso Ng'iro basin are self‐governing, and establish their own water distribution rules (Dell'Angelo et al, ; McCord, Dell'Angelo, Baldwin, & Evans, a; McCord, Dell'Angelo, Gower, Caylor, & Evans, b). However, CWPs are vulnerable to water shortages based on ecological conditions and the actions of upstream users (Dell'Angelo et al, ).…”

Section: Research Design Data and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, CWPs are vulnerable to water shortages based on ecological conditions and the actions of upstream users (Dell'Angelo et al, ). If upstream users do not adjust their water use during dry periods, there will be insufficient quantities left for downstream CWPs, suggesting that sustainable and equitable water use presents a collective action problem not only within CWPs but between upstream and downstream CWPs (Dell'Angelo et al, ). A map of the CWPs and WRUAs in our study area is provided in Figure .…”

Section: Research Design Data and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Collective action in a polycentric water governance system

et al. 2018

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Small‐scale irrigation systems are important for agricultural productivity in dryland agroecosystems, particularly in areas where there is significant intra‐ and interannual changes in rainfall patterns. Institutional analysis of common‐pool resources has demonstrated the principles that tend to result in sustained water governance systems. However, previous work did not fully articulate the nested nature of institutions and how polycentric arrangements can play a role in both the formation and the ongoing maintenance of these governance systems. To better understand collective action across water user groups and decision‐makers at multiple governance levels, we undertake a multilevel analysis of Kenya's polycentric approach to water governance, in place since reforms were initiated in 2002. Survey and interview data indicate that in the postreform period, water users in Kenya's Upper Ewaso Ng'iro basin engaged in behaviors associated with collective action, including reduced water use by upstream users to address downstream users' needs. We examine the factors that promote collective action in the region, asking whether features associated with polycentric governance have helped to promote collective action. We find that the presence of multiple decision centers with overlapping authority over water governance functions creates necessary—but not sufficient—conditions for collective action to occur. Regulations and formal conflict resolution mechanisms provide incentives for water users to cooperate, while shared membership in regional Water Resource Users Associations facilitates informal opportunities for users to share information and build trust over time.

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Section: Research Design Data and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Research Design Data and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collective action in a polycentric water governance system

et al. 2018

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“…Members pay both initial and monthly membership fees aimed to cover maintenance and management costs. Dell'Angelo et al () suggest that, based on research in some of the communities, considerable homogeneity exists regarding payment of membership fees, monthly fees, rotating schedules, monitoring regimes, and possible exclusions in instances where rules are broken.…”

Section: The Socio‐hydrology Of Smallholders In the Upper Ewaso Ng'irmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Influence of Smallholders' Perceptions Regarding Water Availability on Crop Choice and Water Allocation Through Socio‐Hydrological Modeling

Kuil

McCord

Salinas

et al. 2018

Water Resources Research

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While it is known that farmers adopt different decision‐making behaviors to cope with stresses, it remains challenging to capture this diversity in formal model frameworks that are used to advance theory and inform policy. Guided by cognitive theory and the theory of bounded rationality, this research develops a novel, socio‐hydrological model framework that can explore how a farmer's perception of water availability impacts crop choice and water allocation. The model is informed by a rich empirical data set at the household level collected during 2013 in Kenya's Upper Ewaso Ng'iro basin that shows that the crop type cultivated is correlated with water availability. The model is able to simulate this pattern and shows that near‐optimal or “satisficing” crop patterns can emerge also when farmers were to make use of simple decision rules and have diverse perceptions on water availability. By focusing on farmer decision making it also captures the rebound effect, i.e., as additional water becomes available through the improvement of crop efficiencies it will be reallocated on the farm instead of flowing downstream, as a farmer will adjust his (her) water allocation and crop pattern to the new water conditions. This study is valuable as it is consistent with the theory of bounded rationality, and thus offers an alternative, descriptive model in addition to normative models. The framework can be used to understand the potential impact of climate change on the socio‐hydrological system, to simulate and test various assumptions regarding farmer behavior and to evaluate policy interventions.

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“…Current challenges facing the CPR/LSS community include several needs: to better understand interactions of commons dilemmas across multiple scales [69,[97][98][99]; for transboundary/trans-jurisdictional governance studies in the face of global environmental change (especially for depleting resources such as water, or public lands [42,100]; and to better understand complex interactions between multiple commons resources (here, public-private land and water governance) across multiple scales [97,101]. Such LSS approaches are primed to address these complex multi-scalar challenges through their emphasis on CHANS.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Land Systems Science Framework for Bridging Land System Architecture and Landscape Ecology: A Case Study from the Southern High Plains

Vadjunec

Frazier

Kedron

et al. 2018

Land

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Abstract:Resource-use decisions affect the ecological and human components of the coupled human and natural system (CHANS), but a critique of some frameworks is that they do not address the complexity and tradeoffs within and between the two systems. Land system architecture (LA) was suggested to account for these tradeoffs at multiple levels/scales. LA and landscape ecology (LE) focus on landscape structure (i.e., composition and configuration of land-use and land-cover change [LULCC]) and the processes (social-ecological) resulting from and shaping LULCC. Drawing on mixed-methods research in the Southern Great Plains, we develop a framework that incorporates LA, LE, and governance theory. Public land and water are commons resources threatened by overuse, degradation, and climate change. Resource use is exacerbated by public land and water policies at the state-and local-levels. Our framework provides a foundation for investigating the mechanisms of land systems science (LSS) couplings across multiple levels/scales to understand how and why governance impacts human LULCC decisions (LA) and how those LULCC patterns influence, and are influenced by, the underlying ecological processes (LE). This framework provides a mechanism for investigating the feedbacks between and among the different system components in a CHANS that subsequently impact future human design decisions.

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Community Water Governance on Mount Kenya: An Assessment Based on Ostrom’s Design Principles of Natural Resource Management

Cited by 50 publications

References 29 publications

Collective action in a polycentric water governance system

Collective action in a polycentric water governance system

Exploring the Influence of Smallholders' Perceptions Regarding Water Availability on Crop Choice and Water Allocation Through Socio‐Hydrological Modeling

A Land Systems Science Framework for Bridging Land System Architecture and Landscape Ecology: A Case Study from the Southern High Plains

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