Another key factor in regional development is energy, of which irrigation is a major user. The annual amount of energy needed to operate irrigation equipment is about five times that required for its manufacture, which is about 86 million joules per kilogram, as estimated by Stout et al. Concurrently, energy consumption for irrigation in developing countries has increased. At the 14th Congress of the World Energy Conference Conservation Committee held in 1989 in Montreal, it was estimated that energy consumption would rise 50 to 75 percent between 1985 and 2020. Much of this increase is expected to occur in developing countries.
Energy requirements increase as water application become more inefficient.
Savings in energy alone would cover the cost of effective technical assistance. In recent years, however, their role has become routine and their effectiveness has therefore diminished. Rather than leading the process of agricultural development by anticipating national and regional needs and presenting viable solutions, international organizations are responding to urgent government requests of questionable importance to comprehensive long-term sustained development. Too often these requests consist of providing manpower to isolated projects which may not bring about any real progress in overall development. As a whole, the region is showing clear signs of regression in this regard.