The working group meeting of the Coordination Council of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine was held on 29-30 November 2016 on the issues of development of the Strategy for Resumption of Work and Development of Irrigation Systems within the framework of the World Bank visit to discuss the principles of the Strategy.

The experts of the World Bank, representatives of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, the State Agency for Water Resources of Ukraine, the Institute of Water Problems and Melioration of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, assistants of the People’s Deputies of Ukraine, representatives of the State Land Cadastre of Ukraine, the USAID project ‘Water for the Agricultural Sector’, the Public Organization ‘Institute of Agricultural Market Development’, the Agricultural Development Department of the Kherson Regional State Administration, the Institute of Irrigated Agriculture of the NAAS of Ukraine  and the Kherson State Agricultural University.

The meeting identified and discussed the basic principles that should shape the Strategy for development and rehabilitation of irrigation in Ukraine, namely:

  • the principle of integrated water resources management;
  • Separation of functions of water resources management from management functions of the water management infrastructure;
  • The main infrastructure facilities for irrigation and drainage should remain in state ownership, and management should be in the public interest and with the involvement of water users at appropriate levels;
  • Water user associations are also self-financed, self-governing non-profit organizations providing irrigation and drainage services to the water users;
  • For associations of water users for a long time (or indefinite period), the right to free use of the on-farm reclamation system located in its service area is assigned;
  • Legislation on the integration of water users should establish clear and reliable internal management mechanisms based on accountability and transparency;
  • The mechanism for determining tariffs should be collective, transparent, logical and understandable for all stakeholders; It should reflect the real costs of managing, operating and operating systems in each service area and the like.

In addition, the achievements of KSAU in the framework of implementation of the joint international project Erasmus + ECOIMPACT were discussed.