ABSTRACT
This chapter considers some of the problems of knowledge transfer which can occur in the water sector. Knowledge transfer is a complex process. A measure of simplification and schematization is therefore appropriate. Conflicts can also be provoked by the indiscreet application of the methods of the industrialized countries to farming in the developing countries. A well-known expert on the developing countries—Aaron Wiener—has said that technological information is easier to transfer than the capacity for making decisions. The general public is a neglected recipient group where information in the water sector is concerned; the information issued today is very wide and often has a heavy sectorial bias. The forecasts which have been drawn up for the year 2000 indicate the need to provide three times as much water for the human community as is being provided, and that the greater part of this will be for irrigation purposes.
