ABSTRACT
Studies have shown that an increase in irrigation productivity which results in improved farm income creates an increase in demand for local nontradable goods and services, which offer labour opportunities to the poorest segments of the rural population, promotes local agro-enterprises and stimulates the agricultural sector as a whole (Lipton et al., 2003; Smith, 2004; Hussain et al., 2004). In most parts of sub-Saharan Africa, increasing agricultural productivity is often the only way out of poverty, and new irrigation development can be a springboard for economic development (Faurès et al., 2007). In the face of many disappointing experiences with irrigation development in sub-Saharan Africa, investing in irrigation requires empirical evidence of the potential productivities of the prevailing irrigation technologies, and a comparative analysis to inform irrigation policy.
