Worlds apart? Challenges of multi-agency partnership in participatory watershed development in Rajasthan, India

Effective management of natural resources in ecologically fragile regions has remained a major concern for international development donors, project implementing agencies as well as for resource-dependent communities. It is suggested that multi-agency partnerships involving various stakeholders (donors, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), etc.) could ensure better management of common property resources, such as water, pastures or forests. This is important in dryland regions like Rajasthan in India where the majority of agriculture is rainfed and the development of watersheds is crucial for the livelihoods of smallholders. This article presents a critical analysis of multi-agency partnership in a participatory watershed development project implemented in the late 1990s in rural Rajasthan. Based on multi-sited ethnography and qualitative research in the post-project period (2003–2005), it demonstrates that while the theoretical argument in favor of multi-agency partnerships is very strong, there are several practical challenges that come in the way of successful realization of such partnerships. Unrealistic donor expectations, differences in cultures and incentive structures, widespread corruption in the government sector and diverse agendas of NGOs may hamper multi-agency partnerships in watershed development. Policy-makers and project functionaries need to address these issues for multi-agency partnerships to work.