Development process for improving irrigation water management on farms : development of solutions manual

This volume, one of a four-volume series, describes a comprehensive process for improving on-farm irrigation water management in developing countries. The Development of Solutions manual focuses on the identification and evaluation of alternative designs for water management systems and presents three subphases: (1) identification and ranking of plausible alternatives; (2) detailed development of solutions to priority problems; and (3) assessment, refinement, and assembling of the solutions. A "brainstorming session", in which all participants are encouraged to submit ideas with no threat of judgement, is recommended as a first step in the develoment of solutions process. Plausible solutions are then classified according to such criteria as the need for multi-discipline involvement, time and resource requirements, technical and economic viability, and complementarities with other solutions. Preparation of a solution/criteria matrix providing information on the appropriateness of each plausible solution is suggested. When sufficient information is available, the project participants should meet to design combinations or "packages" of solutions for the particular problem(s) encountered. The packages are then evaluated and refined in field trials. When the field tests are finished, the solutions are given a final assessment for technical adequacy, farmer acceptance, farmer participation, economic adequacy, social and political feasibility, and organizational adequacy. The final step is to prepare the packages for widespread dissemination and formal reporting to the appropriate agencies. An explanation of the use of linear programming for crop selection and water pricing is appended.