THE BIG POTENTIAL OF MICRO-IRRIGATION
UN report applauds the work of IDE
It is something that IDE has been saying since the early ‘80’s, but we are being joined by more and more voices affirming the role of small-scale irrigation in reducing rural poverty.
According to the 2006 UN Human Development Report, “Micro-level irrigation is at the cutting edge of emerging water management technologies... Drip technologies use less water than surface irrigation, deliver it directly to the crop and reduce salinization and water-logging.”
The UN report not only recognizes the importance of micro-irrigation, but also directly commends the work of IDE: “International Development Enterprises has played a catalytic role in breaking down cost barriers to access...reducing the costs of irrigation to $250 a hectare. Field results in Andhra Pradesh, in India, and Nepal show that the area under cultivation has doubled with the same amount of water."
While farmers are able to use more land, they are also getting far more production from their existing plots.
But it is not just about production. The UN report notes that the technology is important because it allows small farmers to enter higher value-added markets - domestic and export.
For 15 years, IDE Nepal has been championing the need for, as the report puts it, “...investment to support the spread of new irrigation technologies and - more important - build marketing infrastructure in more marginal areas.”
Read more about micro-irrigation and Nepal in this issue. Consider how you might invest in this growth opportunity.