Political Ecology of Water

This course explains and elaborates a political ecology approach to analyse water governance and intervention. Political ecology is a body of combined theoretical approaches that have in common that they put politics and power relations at the heart of the analysis of social struggles over natural resources (that is, knowing, intervening in, and governing nature). Political ecology approaches thereby focus on context and history-rootedness; the social and political construction of nature and natural resource governance (socio-natures); power relations; multiple, dynamic and interlaced scales; while aiming to understand and support ' environmental justice' . The course comprises three highly related themes: (1) introduction to the political ecology debates and approaches and their application to water questions; (2) the critical analysis of water governance interventions and reforms of the water sector; and (3) the exploration of alternative strategies for knowing, distributing and governing water as informed by different political ecology approaches.
Over the past decades a growing body of experience and knowledge has developed on the institutional, organizational and political aspects of water management, such as the development of water users organizations and participatory irrigation management, participatory design of irrigation infrastructure, development of pluralistic water rights frameworks, cultural politics of water- based identities, payment for environmental services and market-based governance models, reform of water policies and bureaucracies, understanding and composition of multi-scalar ' hydro-social territories' and grassroots struggles for water justice.
This course covers these topics by presenting concepts and methodologies derived from the political ecology approaches that consider equity and democracy as key concerns in studying and transforming 'government water agencies', market-environmentalist water policies, local water management organisations, and water-based mobilizations and grassroots movements. This is placed in the context of wider developments in the water sector as well as contemporary policy and governance debates. The focus of this course is not only on providing analytical tools allowing students to unpack the mechanics of power, but also on empowering both students and stakeholder organisations to jointly engage in a process to design countervailing strategies that result in a more just distribution of both access and governance of water resources.
The study of a case of civil society organisation engagement with an environmental problem forms an integrative element of the course. We will visit various stakeholders of the case during a one-day excursion, and students write a group essay on a topic related to this case applying concepts presented in the course.

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:

• Understand and debate current political ecology concepts, methodologies and approaches for analysing water science and water control, and for proposing water policy and sector reforms
• Apply political ecological concepts and methods for analysing water (re)allocation programs, water and river governance and water sector interventions
• Acquire skills that facilitate change processes, such as the use of role plays in anticipated problematic contexts to reflect on possible institutional change strategies
• Develop a critical perspective on water governance and water reforms with a focus on equity and democracy
• Propose critical pathways for empowering both students and stakeholder organisations to jointly engage in a process to design countervailing strategies that result in a more just distribution of both access and governance of water resources and improve the participation of water users in design and management processes

Assumed Knowledge:
WRM34806 Water, Society and Technology; Relevant field experience; Knowledge on water technology; operation and management and project implementation.

https://wur.osiris-student.nl/onderwijscatalogus/extern/cursus?cursusid=820518&taal=en