Handbook for Scaling Irrigation Systems

Abstract

The demand for more efficient use of land and water resources to enable farmers to produce food using climate-resilient processes continues to grow in the face of a growing global population and the impacts of climate change and other shocks such as Coronavirus (COVID-19). Although irrigation has been widely promoted as important for productivity and resilience, it has not been sufficiently expanded. Large, well-established irrigation projects developed by public institutions and select private sector projects play an important role in providing access to irrigation, but they are insufficient to meet need. In parallel, farmers have been developing effective small-scale irrigation (SSI) options that include a range of technologies, financing methods, and operating models. International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) are global organizations focused on promoting resilient agriculture and food system transformation. This handbook takes a practical approach in guiding its target readers, which comprise policy makers, governments and government agencies, private sector actors, and development institution partners, on how to deliver effective design and operation strategies, combined with financing models, to implement and sustainably expand use of irrigation.