Investing in small, private irrigation to increase production and enhance livelihoods

Much of the investment in small-scale water extraction devices, farm ponds, and irrigation equipment in Africa and South Asia has been made by individual farmers, without involving a formal irrigation scheme or a water user association. The farm-level benefits of these investments in small, private irrigation include the production and revenue gains made possible through reliable, timely access to surface water, groundwater, or rainfall that has been captured and stored. Governments and donors can enhance the pace of such investments by providing information regarding water availability, the types of appropriate water extraction devices and irrigation technology available, the likely impacts on farm-level production, and the prices farmers should expect to pay for good quality materials. Farmers might also benefit from certification programs that convey information regarding the reliability of suppliers, and credit programs that provide affordable loans. Such programs might be particularly helpful in Africa, where rural populations are less dense than in Asia, such that the per-household cost of delivering information and services might restrain the pace of private sector provision of water extraction devices and irrigation equipment.