In this section you’ll learn about:
- How to define farmer-led irrigation development, and
- How to identify farmers’ irrigation initiatives.
What is farmer-led irrigation development and how does it differ from other forms of irrigation development?
Put simply, farmer-led irrigation development is an irrigation development process that is initiated by farmers.
We define ‘farmer-led irrigation development’ as a process in which small-scale farmers drive the establishment, improvement and/or expansion of irrigated agriculture, often in interaction with external actors. These external actors’ include: neighbouring farmers, agro-dealers and traders, craftspeople, agriculture extension agents, irrigation engineers, administrative authorities, local and national policy makers, civil society and development aid agents.
Farmer-led irrigation development can:
- take place at different scales,
- be used to grow a variety of crops,
- rely on various technologies and governance arrangements.