Social Capital and Irrigation Water Management in Kafr al-Sheikh and Fayoum in the 1950s and 1960s

Abstract

This chapter covers the period from the 1950s to the 1960s based on the data collected from in-depth interviews with key informants, villagers, and state representatives as well as from group interviews. The first part identifies the actors of the village field, discusses their ability to exercise social capital functions, social control, and collective action, and examines the main social relationships that permitted the exercise of social capital functions. The second part analyzes the formation and functioning of informal water user groups in Kafr al-Sheikh and Fayoum at the mesqa level, examining the degree of autonomy of the irrigation water management field and the extent of the impact of the village field on irrigation water management in both governorates.