Abstract

The irrigation networks managed by water users' associations are public goods allowing different but codified private and public uses, which should be recognised and integrated into the local society. In Mediterranean countries, these irrigation systems face strong social and demographic evolutions, with in particular a fast urban expansion. The demand and the uses of raw water change, forcing water user associations to adapt their management rules. Using three old irrigation system case studies located in the South of France, we show that the technical adaptation of networks and new pricing do not face major
problem, if the power sharing and the information access can also evolve to integrate these new uses. Furthermore, these adaptations are necessary not only for the new users, but also for the former, the farmers, to build up economic and political alliances.

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