ABSTRACT
Drip irrigation is increasingly promoted for smallholder agriculture in Asia and Africa and the adoption of low-cost drip irrigation equipment has recently been the subject of increased attention in the literature. This chapter analyses the different innovations smallholders may make to drip irrigation systems in a context of rapidly changing farming systems. The hypothesis is that user-led innovation enables the diffusion of drip irrigation to a wide range of farmers, as local actors translate international drip irrigation systems to local situations. While the local adaptations of drip irrigation can be considered a farmer-led innovation, the role of the other actors should not be underestimated. The dynamic farming systems created a demand for technical and organisational support from sellers of inputs and private engineers and technicians. The innovation process of drip irrigation in the case study mimicked the distributed organisation of the farming systems, which confined each actor to a specific perimeter of innovation.
