Ever since they became popular in Israel and
the US, drip and sprinkler irrigation technologies have appealed
to large, commercial, technology-suave farmers. In recent
years, attempts have been made-by NGOs like International
Development Enterprises (IDE) and corporates like Netafim
and Chapin-to adapt these technologies and promote them as
livelihood-creators for the poor of Asia and Africa. IDE,
which has simplified and demystified the technology, has focused
on cutting its cost to the minimum and on promoting it massively
amongst the poor. In South Asia, micro-irrigation has the
potential to respond to two critical but distinct needs: of
the poor, especially women, to create a new means of income
and livelihood; and of farmers in water scarce areas to cope
with extremes of water scarcity. The best example of the first
is to be found in Nepal hills, where Micro-Irrigation Communities-mostly
of poor women vegetable growers-- created by IDE, Nepal have
experienced major improvements in cash income and household
food and nutrition security. The best examples of the second
are to be found amongst organic cotton farmers in Maikaal
region near the site of the Maheshwar dam in Madhya Pradesh,
amongst mulberry farmers of Kolar district in Karnataka and
amongst lemon growers in Saurashtra in Gujarat. Strategic
issues in marketing micro-irrigation to the poor are different
from promoting it to farmers coping with extreme water scarcity.
The question is: what might work best in promoting this technology
on a mass-scale?
