In Jordan, the evaluation showed that, in general terms, the Water Users Associations (WUAs) are functioning well from the organizational point of view. However the following drawbacks were identified:

- limited control of costs

- ineffective operation in one of the WUAs due to the old irrigation network

- inadequate maintenance due to the fact that WUAs are only minimally involved in it.

The degree of satisfaction of the farmers with the performance of the WUAs has been growing since the transfer of irrigation management to the WUAs took place. However, it remains moderate, ranging between 60-80%. This is strongly affected by the so far limited responsibilities of the Associations.  

At the National level two major actions emerged.

One, was the need for a national vision where the road map of the development of the WUAs is clearly specified. The other one was the need to prepare a PIM/IMT plan covering a horizon of 3 years where the financial and human resources are well defined and committed. The review of the legal framework also emerged as an important activity, in addition to the establishment of effective coordination mechanisms at the regional level.

Concerning the application of the M&E system set up by SWIM-SM, the discussions showed that participants have a strong appreciation for it since it does not only allow for monitoring and evaluation of the PIMT/IMT process but is a good tool for supporting planning and decision making.

Moreover, the system offers good basis and potential to enhance communication between the irrigation authority (Jordan Valley Authority) and the WUAs, which is much needed in order to have a better understanding of problems and needs.

Improvements were also identified with a view to adapting the system better to the needs of the country. This includes the reduction of the number of indicators, particularly those where results can be indirectly deducted or for which data are very difficult to be collected. Additional coaching on the installation and use of the system should also be provided in the future by its developers.

The 19 stakeholders who participated in the event were the following:

- Representatives of the Jordan Valley Authority (JVA) - the irrigation agency responsible for the irrigation schemes in the country – and the Water Users Association (WUA) Support Unit at JVA;

- The regional operation and maintenance directors/officers involved in the pilot implementation of the M&E system, namely the “North Valley” and “Karameh” Directorates

- Water officials from the two WUAs that were selected for the application of the system at the local level (WUA 41 (Wadi Ar-Rayyan) and WUA 91 (Baladna)).

- IT specialists at JVA, who will be responsible for providing support to the users of the system in the future

- Donors who are active in the field of PIM/IMT.

The specific objective of this SWIM-SM activity under which the pilot application and self-evaluation workshop in Jordan and Tunisia took place, is to:

1)    Design and implement a user-friendly regional M&E system for the monitoring and evaluation of the PIM/IMT and customize it to suit the national and local conditions in the pilot areas.

2)    Enable national, regional and local authorities in addition to WUAs in selected pilot areas to examine and explore the applicability of the M&E system with due consideration to the country’s particular context / local specificities.

3)    Document the approach and the lessons learnt during implementation for potential replication within the same and/or in other countries.

The system has the capacity to generate two levels of reporting;  (a) evaluation reports and (b) statistical and graphical reports for each of the mentioned levels, which was the main subject of discussion during the Workshop, and consists of four modules as per the objectives listed below:

Module A: assesses the degree of political commitment towards the PIM/IMT process and the adequacy of the existing institutional arrangements in support of the establishment of the WUAs

Module B: assesses the performance of the responsible irrigation agencies at the national and regional levels in the implementation of the PIM/IMT program

Module C: assesses the institutional, financial and technical performance of Water Users Associations

Module D: assesses the impact of WUAs' establishment

The activity has been implemented in close collaboration with CIHEAM-IAM Bari that provided relevant expertise in the design and the programming of the application and will facilitate its follow-up and further development.