ABSTRACT
It is estimated that three-quarters of the farmers in developing countries cultivate less than 2 hectares (5 acres) of land. For example, a typical farm in Bangladesh supports six people on what they can earn and eat from one acre of land. Typically the family income is only $200 to $300 a year, far too little to afford the modern irrigation devices that are often promoted by development experts. However, without improved irrigation, they cannot gain full access to green revolution inputs. Furthermore, many development experts expect that in an open marketplace, small inefficient farms will be taken over by larger and more efficient farms. But in the face of rapid population growth, actual farm size in developing countries is steadily decreasing! The failure of the development community to take these simple facts into account is a major factor constraining emergence of practical solutions to both improved irrigation performance and to hunger and poverty.
