Users' Satisfaction in Farmer Managed Irrigation System in Nepal : A Case Study of Chitwan District

Abstract

Irrigation plays a significant role in the path of agrieulture development with its consequent ef fect on the progress and livelihood of agrarian-based society like Nepal. Majority ofthe irrigated areas are served under Farmer Managed Irrigation System (FMIS). This study is carried out to detennine the so-cio-economic, demographic factors influencing satisfaction of the users in the Kumroj Farmer Managed Irrigation System (KFMIS) regarding water availability in piain area ofNepal, using the farm household survey data collected from 1OO beneficiaries. Viiriation is apparent among the water users regarding sev-erat socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. The logit model is used to analyze the relationship bctween dichotomous relations of satjsfaction level (satisfiedrdissatisfied) with the irrigation system by the help of certain independent variables. The result shows that the variables such as water availability on time, location of fann, land size, education in terms of schoeling years and rice productivity significantly influenced the satisfaction of the system beneficiaries in the study area. It is funher suggested that water distribution system should be upgraded in view of the water availability, farm location and size of the farm to improve users' satisfaction for the effective management of FMIS in the long run,