ABSTRACT
Researchers are always looking for new approaches to tackle obstinate problems. While in some cases these approaches represent fundamentally new methods of addressing an issue, in other cases they simply constitute a changed perception for the same one. If the change in perception leads to a complete change in societal view of an issue, it is a paradigm shift (Kuhn, 1962). One such shift relates to water management for agricultural production, which is critical to development and will remain so as human population increases and diets shift toward more water demanding food. A sustained effort in improving water and crop productivity in recent decades—exemplified by the Green Revolution of the 1960s and 70s—has allowed food production to outpace human demand (FAO, 1996). However, the point has been reached when low hanging fruits, associated with raising productivity in irrigated areas, have largely been exhausted. As a result, recent discourse is moving toward improving productivity in rainfed agriculture, especially in the African continent where agriculture is predominantly rainfed and productivity is low. To aid in this effort, colors have been utilized to highlight the difference between water management for rainfed versus irrigated agriculture.
