The aim is to create awareness among the interested public and the professional community on irrigation and drainage issues, particularly on the positive benefits of irrigated agriculture. This first paper aims to show how the means to reduce poverty lies in the socio-economic conditions that irrigated agriculture can change and in the way irrigation development is pursued. We hope that the paper will promote debate and act as a stimulant for new action to reach the poor through irrigated agriculture. The paper also identifies the issues that need to be addressed if the effectiveness of maintenance is to be improved. World Bank Technical Paper No. 246.
Treadle pumps for irrigation in Africa.
To answer this question the authors describe in simple terms what a treadle pump is and how it can be used. These pumps have been very successful in South Asia and provide an affordable way to lift and move water in the quantities that farmers want. The technology is aimed at farmers with small holdings of a few hectares. The African cases studies show that the treadle pump can provide an affordable means of irrigating small areas of land and allow farmers and their families to grow crops for their own consumption but also for sale. Not only can use of the treadle pump help in contributing to food security and reducing poverty by making irrigated agriculture an attractive venture but the manufacture and supply of the pumps is also creating employment and income opportunities.