Abstract
After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the disbanding of state farms, on‐farm irrigation was in chaos. Many republics replaced their production brigades with water user associations (WUAs). In the Kyrgyz Republic, with World Bank support, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) established WUAs to take over on‐farm irrigation operation and maintenance (O&M). To ensure these were participatory, in 2002 the Republic passed a WUA Law. To date 451 WUAs have been legally registered under this law. As farmers had no experience with participatory associations, an intensive capacity development program was critical for success. Within the DWR WUA Support Units (SUs) at the central (1), provincial (7) and district (40) level were formed. International consultants and Central SU staff members provided more than 3000 days of training for staff members of SUs. In turn, SUs have provided more than 47 000 days of training for WUAs. Interactions with SUs and intensive training have strengthened WUA boards and encouraged member participation. Monitoring data documents increased the efficiency of water delivery, while fees paid by WUA members have increased annually in every province. WUAs have now formed 14 WUA federations responsible for off‐farm O&M. The success of these federations requires advanced capacity development for leaders and management staff. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.