Irrigation management in Pakistan mountain environments

However, Pakistan"s mountain environments are more and more becoming the focus of substantial rural development projects that seek to expand or strengthen the agricultural base in some of the poorest regions of the country. Such programs are likely to require a different approach to irrigation system development as well as a more comprehensive water management strategy if the objective outcomes of such projects are to be sustained. This paper is an initial attempt to: (1) determine the extent of irrigated agriculture in Pakistan"s mountains; (2) focus attention upon changes already underway in some areas as a result of irrigation development activities; and (3) identify important knowledge gaps that will need to be filled by more systematic and multidisciplinary research. (Author abstract)