LAUSR

This paper explores the historical and contemporary governance of water users' associations (WUAs) in an irrigation district in Central Java, Indonesia. The historical governance was explored through in‐depth interviews with the chief and board members of the WUAs, farmers and government officials, who have more than 30 years of experience in irrigation. The contemporary WUAs' governance was assessed through a survey of 34 WUAs covering an area of 7872 ha. The results show that the WUAs have experienced significant changes in governance, from hierarchical to community‐based (Swakelola) and provider‐based network style (Lelang). The survey revealed that there is an improvement in farm infrastructure under the current governance since the WUAs can provide sufficient funds to rehabilitate and maintain the irrigation networks without relying on outside actors. Also, the current WUAs' governance seems to increase land productivity, but it needs to be verified by future research. Finally, the insight in this study is useful in the effort to build sustainable agricultural water management. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.