Water governance reform in the context of inequality: securing rights or legitimizing dispossession?

Abstract

Secure and legally sanctioned access to water is gaining significance to farmers to cushion themselves against climate change and to participate in markets that are increasingly concerned with social and environmental responsibility. Nicaragua is among the countries which recently has introduced a new water rights regime as part of its water governance reform. The article analyzes the extent to which the reform has succeeded in providing water security for all. The article argues that due to selective and partial implementation, the water governance reform could lead to the concentration of enforceable water rights in the hands of the few.