ABSTRACT
During the past two decades, large investments have been made in Asian irrigation development. In fifteen Asian countries (excluding China) from Afghanistan on the west to the Philippines on the east, irrigated area increased by approximately 23 million ha between 1966 and 1982 (Asian Development Bank, International Irrigation Management Institute (ADB/IIMI), 1987, p. 56). During this time, the Asian Development Bank loaned about $2.2 billion for irrigation to its member countries, while the World Bank loaned, between 1948 and 1983, a total of $10 billion for irrigation (ADB/IIMI, 1987, pp. 9-10). Large additional sums were invested by national governments. These investments in irrigation represent a response both to increased population pressure on a limited land base, and to varietal and related technological developments in wheat and rice production that greatly enhanced the potential returns to irrigation investments.
