Personnel - Simon Howarth
Biog: Chartered Engineer
MA, Engineering Science, University of Cambridge, 1979
MSc, Irrigation Engineering, University of Southampton, 1981
Postgraduate course, Economics of Water Resources, Wye, 1992
Postgraduate course, Concepts of the Environment in Social Sciences, Wye 1996
Postgraduate course, Social Development, Wye, 2000
Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers
Member of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management
Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
Mr Howarth has extensive experience in the management and implementation of rural development programmes. He is currently leading two major research studies into irrigation and rural livelihoods, in Nepal, India and Kyrgyz Republic, in which he is working with multi-disciplinary and multi-national teams in developing and testing improved processes for strengthening community-based irrigation organisations and for enhancing their ability to manage water resources in an equitable manner. The sites selected for the case studies where chosen to representative of different types of project so that they could be best used to inform policy. Different methods were adopted for capacity building of these organisations, to suit the very different situations in Nepal and Kyrgyz Republic. The work also included review of licensing and registration requirements for WUAs, and included training in water-saving techniques for irrigation. These projects are funded by DFID through the Knowledge and Research Programme, and are being implemented in partnership with Government organisations
He completed in 2001 a seven-year assignment as team leader on a major and innovative programme for improvement of farmer-managed irrigation schemes in an environmentally sensitive area of western Nepal. This entailed both extensive consultation with farmers in a very traditional and deprived part of the country, as well as highly technical and environmentally sensitive design.
Mr Howarth has worked closely at all levels with local and national governments, international funding agencies, environmental bodies, and non-governmental organisations as well as local communities. For most of his professional life, he has lived and worked in South and East Asia, including China, and has largely been based in rural areas. His work has covered all aspects of project planning, design, implementation and evaluation as well as field level research and development of national policy. He has been particularly concerned with developing techniques for user-participation in planning, design and management of water resource projects, and he has a strong understanding of both the technical and the institutional requirements for water management.
Profession: Civil Engineer - Irrigation Engineer
Specialisation:
Water User Associations and improving irrigation effectiveness.
Position: Case Study 2 Leader : Water User Association Expert
