Women and Irrigation. Water Users Associations and Gender in Post Conflict East Timor

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While the Government of East Timor put up a goal for promoting gender equality in all policy areas after independence, no measure to promote women's participation was taken in the projects on rehabilitation of irrigation systems which were supported by international donors. Although women as farmers made a lot of contribution in agriculture in East Timor, women's participation into decision making relating with the project and the organization in charge of its operation and maintenance named WUA(Water Users Association) was quite limited. As a result women farmers remain so vulnerable to the failures on technological choice, financial management, and on operation & maintenance which are made in the upstream. This research confirmed that women are very much interested in irrigation system as it provide water, a crucial resource for farming and suggests that along with promoting women's participation not only the capability of women farmers but also the capacity of WUA could be strengthened. Since we have observed so many malfunctions on the side of government or donors, the research also emphasizes that'patriarchal' attitude of government officials toward farmers, of HQ to its local offices and of donors toward recipient government should be changed in order to ensure that the system will be able to function as a whole with more accountability and better communication.