Changing gender roles in irrigation management - Sadguru's lift irrigationco-operatives

Based on fieldwork around three lift-irrigation schemes in Sadguru's projec t area and their parallel institutional management structure, the lift-irri gation co-operative, this paper examines the role of women on the executive committees of the co-operatives. It tries to assess the extent to which Sa dguru's efforts in policy advocacy (enabling women's representation on exec utive committees) and gender sensitisation (training on gender relations in development for all staff and community workers) have enhanced women's par ticipation in decision-making on the management of community irrigation sys tems. bl addition, the paper examines how agrarian transformation has chang ed, albeit in limited ways, gender roles and responsibilities in a tribal s ociety, namely, the bhils of Panchmahals district, Gujarat.