ABSTRACT
The successful program in the Philippines of farmer organization for irrigation management showed that it was important for the irrigators to make regular cash contributions to the construction costs involved. The most underrated and misunderstood dimension of irrigation development today is that of the individual and collective irrigation behavior of farmers. Farmers not only have a right to take part in most of the decisions that affect their lives directly, such as at the outlet level, they also need an organized means to make their needs known. Experiences in many countries indicate that there are several common priority constraints in attempting to gain more farmer participation. No single model exists that can be transferred to India or within India to resolve the farmer participation problem. Time is also required to achieve a reorientation of the methods and approaches of personnel who work with farmers.
